Me, Myself and Kai
by Jashomara
Summary: Breaking up with my girlfriend twice, getting chased by raging girl fans, being attacked by vicious 8yearolds and getting tied to a pole in a strip club. Why do weird things always happen to me! Oh yeah! Because my best friend is Kai Hiwatari! COMPLETE!
1. I Lost My Diary

No! The ideas just won't stop coming! I guess I won't be happy until I reach 100 reviews. This is **not** yoai! I repeat this is **not** yoai! It will have pairs later. Of course Mariah will be in it. You should know me by now.

Once you get past the italic, I tried to make the chapter funny. So, if whatever I wrote wasn't funny, please excuse my lack of good humor.

**Summary**: Breaking up with my girlfriend twice, getting chased by wild raging girl fans, being attached by vicious 8-year-olds, watching an old man nearly have a heart attach because he think his grandson is gay and getting tied to a pole in a strip club called 'Devil's Kitten'. Why do weird things always happen to me!? Oh yeah! It's because my best friend is Kai Hiwatari!

I had to take out somethings in the other summery because it would fit in the box.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own beyblade. Hope you like the story!

* * *

_I remember the road being wet and slippery on that fateful night. The rain poured mercilessly down on my dad's old Cadillac as he drove recklessly through the rain, seeming as though he would run off the road at any given moment. My mother looked helplessly out of the window at the sleek black streets while holding her hand on her head with a far away look in her eyes. I didn't know what was going on, but I had a sickening feeling in the bottom of my stomach that told me I was about to find out._

_My parents had been arguing a few minutes earlier about some place called Biovolt in Moscow. My father want to take me there since he and mother couldn't take care of me anymore. Mother declined and said that they would find a way to keep me with them, but her efforts to change Father's mind proved in vain when he took me and through me into the car. We have been riding for quite some time now and I was getting very tired, but we appeared to be pulling up to some sort of massive black gate. We were only sitting there for a couple of seconds before the gate opened up and we road into a dark and bleak field. _

_I put my small hand to the window and rub in a circular motion to clear away some of the fog sticking to the window due to the cruel night's coldness. My blue eyes peered out to fall upon a dark ominous looking abbey of some sort sitting in the middle of a spotlight surrounded field. _

"_Get out." My dad coldly commanded while stepping outside of his door. Mother quickly got out of the car and ran to my door. As she opened it, I could see pain filled tears streaming down her beautiful and usually cheerful light brown cheeks. She picked me up from the car and hugged me tightly while sobbing uncontrollably into my red hair. The cold rain pelted my head and was beginning to soak my body giving me goose bumps. _

_"I love you, Tala. Don't ever forget that." The cold, harsh rain had now soaked my white tee-shirt and blue jeans. "I love you, Tala." Even though it was freezing cold outside, Mother's hug was still as warm as summer. Then she slowly and unwillingly put me back on the ground. My father began to call me over to him and a creepy looking man he was talking to, whom I would soon learn to obey._

"Tala! Taaaaaaaaaaaaaala!" the redhead looked up from his journal that he was writing in. Over the summer, Tala decided it would be best to start writing down his life story… from what he can remember. The blue eyed teen looked up to see his best friend walking into the room they shared with a panicked look on his face.

Yes, even though they lived in a five-story mansion complete with hundreds of rooms most of which were useless and forgotten they still found the need to stay in the same room. Tala simply sighed, closed his book apathetically and looked back at Kai insinuating that the blue haired teen had his full attention.

"What? Did you _accidentally _make Voltaire faint **again** because you two had **another **misunderstanding about your sexuality?" he said tediously in one breath.

"No." Kai said coolly, plopping on the bed beside Tala nearly making the redhead fall off. "It's not that time of the month yet." Yes, Kai has a time of the month. No, not the one you're thinking of. It's the time when he decided to pay Voltaire back for all the things the old man had done to him in the past by bringing home a guy that he paid one-hundred dollars to, to pretend to be his boyfriend. Kai did this little trick every month. Voltaire gullibly believes him every time.

"So, what is it? Were the goldfish in the tank down stairs harassing you again?" Tala smirked upon watching Kai bravely poke out his chest and put his fists to his sides.

"No! They tried to bother me, but I walked right past them like they weren't even there!" he stuck his nose heroically in the air, grinning all the while. "Little water breathing, bubble blowing, fin flapping mother f-"

"Technically, fish don't flap their fins, they sway them in the water." Tala interrupted before Kai could go any further with the name calling of the fish. "So, what happened?" he finally asked.

"I lost my diary!" Kai jumped up and off the bed as though he himself were just hearing the news upon remembering the reason he had came in there in the first place.

"You lost it?" Tala asked, not believing that Kai would be so careless as to lose one of the most treasured, confined and personal possession such as his diary.

"Well, kinda. I know where it is." He said simply, but still had that same 'I'm in so much trouble' look on his face, which still left Tala with an uneasy feeling.

"Kai, if you know where it is, then you didn't lose it." The blue eyed teen informed making perfect sense.

"Yes I did!" the slate haired teen was now starting to freak out; holding his head and jumping around in a circle. Tala cocked his head to the side, still not understanding why, if Kai knew where his diary is, wouldn't he go get it.

"O.k. Where is it then?" the redhead said calmly motioning for Kai to come sit beside him on the bed and calm down.

After falling backwards on his bed beside Tala, Kai began to explain, "I was at the library writing in my diary without a care in the world. Well, except for the fact that Jason is going out with that brunette chick." He laughed. "Good luck with that."

"Kai!" Tala snapped, a little annoyed with his best friend lack of ability to stay on subject. "The diary, please!"

"Oh, yeah! So, as I was writing in my diary I looked up at the clock and realized that the ice cream shop across the street had just opened."

"You had ice cream, no wonder you're so hyper today." Tala knew how Kai gets really hyper sometimes. He's the only person the redhead knows that goes crazy after eating three M&M's.

"Hey! You were just talking about staying on subject." Tala just rolled his eyes at Kai's comment and gesture for him to carry on. "So anyway, I got up from the table I was sitting at and began to walk to the exit and entrance doors. As I was opening that exit door, someone with a stack of books came into the entrance door. We hit each other and all the books, including my diary fell to the floor. You're smart, you can figure out the rest…"

"You grabbed his book and he grabbed your diary." The redhead said blithely. He had seen this dilemma in movies often, but had no clue it would ever happen in real life. Shame on him for actually think people in his society had enough common sense, that if they had an identical book, to check the names on the inside.

"**She**. And it wasn't just any 'she', oh no! Life hates me! Of all the 'she's' in the world it just had to be the one 'she' that hated me with a great and intense passion." Tala's eyes widened, as he knew only one 'she' that hated Kai. "The 'she' that didn't like me from the time she first met me. The 'she' that you just dumped not even a month ago!"

"Mariah…" Kai regretfully nodded his head. "Mariah has your diary!" Tala and the said girl had just been through a terrible break up two weeks ago and when she walked away, the pinkette was furious.

"I doubt that if I go up to her and ask for my diary back that she'd be like, 'Sure here you go.'" Kai said making a pretend happy face.

Both boys had a serious problem because sometimes Tala writes in Kai's diary, revealing most of his deepest and well-kept secrets. "So, you know what we have to do, right." Tala asked rising up off the bed.

"Pray that Mariah gets into a car crash on the way home and that the explosion from the crash burns my diary and her if she already read it." Tala then turned to him with a serious and warning expression.

"Don't say stuff like that." He warned letting Kai know that part of him still hasn't got over the pinkette. Grabbing in jacket, Tala swiftly walked to the door. "We have to steal it back."

* * *

So, how what that? The next chapter will be longer. If you read this chapter, please review. 


	2. Embarrassment

Jashomara: Thank you **BeMyfRIeND4eVA**, **Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover**, **darkness tries to take me over**, **candyfan2231**, **Queen Dark Amethyst** and **BlueGreenGrey** for reviewing! Now, let the fun begin.

Lady J: Hi! The things in the summary will happen, just not all at once.

Strawberry (Yes, he is a real boy.): -looks boringly at camera- Sup.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.

* * *

It was a very busy day at the Mazori Mall in Moscow, Russia. (A/N: Not a real mall. Made up the name.) This immense building had just gotten finished being built only two month ago and mall-la-holics roamed the place searching for new outfits and fashion statements. Two girls had just past by. They were going on about how this particular mall didn't have a 'what not to wear' outfit in any store, which seemed to be a very important fact to them.

Everybody in the store seemed to understand the rules and concepts of shopping… everyone except a non-shop-o-holic bystander… or shall I say by-sitter. A redhead sat under a manikin behind the glass of Victoria Secret. (A/N: For all of you who don't know, Victoria Secret is a place where they sell thongs and sexy bras and all that kind of stuff.) Tala didn't mean to, but he accidentally glanced back at the manikins in the thongs and bras a couple times, waving in embarrassment when to girls walked by and caught him staring at the half naked lifeless bodies.

He put his Boost Mobile phone to his mouth and yell/whispered, "Kai, why do I have to sit in Victoria Secret?!" he yelled before waving again at a passing couple, blushing the whole time.

After a couple of seconds, the slate haired teen's voice came back across, "Because, you said Mariah seems like a girl who would buy that stuff. And it **was** you who said the she was a shop-o-holic. It was also your idea to come here." Kai pointed out. "And… I sure as heck wasn't about to do it." Tala groaned, as everything that Kai said was one hundred percent true.

It was only then that the redhead looked up and noticed four sets of eyes staring curiously at him. Startled by their sudden appearance, he nearly fell back on his hands from his kneeling position on the floor, which would have caused those manikins to also topple over on him and possible on other people, ensuring great embarrassment. The kids just stared strangely at him, wondering why a weird redheaded guy was sitting under a thong-wearing manikin behind the glass of Victoria Secret.

The brunette boy that was sucking on a lollipop then took it out of his mouth and asked, "What'cha doin' Mr.?" Of course Tala couldn't hear him because of the thick, separating glass between them.

"Tala, you're not suppose to be playing with children! My diary is at stake here!" Kai's voice came across Tala's Boost Mobile. Kai could see the redhead from his position in the store diagonally across from Victoria Secret. The redhead rolled his eyes and put the phone to his mouth and pressed down the button.

"How am I suppose to get them away?!" he yelled with a frustrated face, making the kids laugh.

"I don't know… point at something. Anything!"

"Point?" Tala asked himself, looking back at the kids whom were now making faces at him. The two girls were using their left hand to pull down the skin under their eyes and the right to push up their nose. The boys were pressing their faces against the glass causing it to fog up and also making repulsive faces and farting noises.

Face reddening in anger, Tala stuck out his tongue and squinted his eyes. The brunette boy just yawned, signaling to Tala that the redhead was no match for him. After which, he stuck out his tongue, pulled his cheeks and shook his head wildly from side to side. Tala raised a challenging eyebrow and pulled on his ears while puffing out his cheeks. The kid countered by pulling down the skin under his right eye, using his middle finger to pull his bottom lip and the index finger of the same hand to dig up his nose.

Tala realized this match was getting tough, but didn't realize the crowd of people and strange looks he had now attracted. Then, with out reminding himself that he was dealing with the delicate and sensitive minds of children, he lifted both of his fists slowly, high enough for the kids to see over the display table that was hiding the rest of his crouching body. Then, after turning his fists over, palms up, he swiftly extended his middle fingers, drawing gasps from the unnoticed crowd.

Surprised blue eyes looked up to meet many unhappy and ominous faces. Slowly he put down the fists. That wasn't the worst part though, he wasn't only one that noticed that crowd. Four tiny bodies turned around and at the eyes that were once challenging, were now filled with tears… fake tears that is.

Expectantly, caring girls that were once happily shopping went and picked up the crying children, after which they glared dangerously at the redhead whom shrunk down under the display table.

Closing his eyes, trying to convince himself he was only dreaming, his wishes were shattered when he heard the oh-so very familiar voice he had learned to shiver at were he heard it, "Tala?"

Scared, embarrassed blue eyes looked up to meet curious, angry gold ones. Tala found himself staring into the usually beautiful golden orbs of a non-forgotten pinkette. It was only then that Tala noticed how bad this situation looked. He was sitting under a manikin wearing thongs, which had little beads dangling from them and onto his head behind the glass of Victoria Secret which he was recently making faces at and flick off 8-year-olds. Forget wave, a huge ocean of embarrassment washed over him.

No longer wishing to look at Mariah's face, Tala concentrated on the bag that was dangling from her arm. After a couple of awkward seconds past, he had noticed that the bag she had, read: Victoria Secret. Had she been in there that whole time?

"Mariah, you know him?" one of the girls that had picked up a kid asked. Tala recognized her as Mariam, from some beyblading team he couldn't remember.

Mariah stared at the redhead until she caught his gaze again, then, she looked him dead in the eyes and said, "No." then quickly walked out of the store. The redhead sighed before feeling a wave of anger. How dare she deny that she knew him! Kai, whom had came in on that scene, prepared himself for a long, theatrical ride home, full of mood swings and impertinent impressions of Mariah.

**In The Car**

"…I can't believe her! Talkin' 'bout she don't know me!…" Tala huffed. The ride was exactly how Kai thought it would be, all he heard was head throbbing shouting from Tala. Luckily, Kai had been in this situation before and knew just what to do. The redhead was now to the stage where he was throwing his hands in the air and rolling his eyes.

"Hey, Tala. I have a idea." Kai said calmly, looking out of the limousine window at the tall buildings in Russia. The redhead looked at Kai cautiously, for he knew that tone Kai was using. It was calm, carefree and smooth. There was a sort of laid-back expression on his face and at the same time, he looked as if he was planning something and Tala knew just what that something was.

"Dimes, pull over at this ice cream shop." Kai commanded to the driver of the limo. As commanded, Dimes, Kai and Tala's English chauffeur, stopped by a cute, little blue and pink ice cream shop on that particular street corner.

Kai then turned to the redhead sitting beside him and grinned maniacally at him. "Redheads first." Kai smiled toothily and gesture for Tala to walk out of the limousine door, which the driver was patiently holding. Both 16-year-olds hopped out of the vehicle, attracting glances and looks from other people thinking someone famous was getting out. It wasn't exactly normal to pull up to a small time ice cream shop in a deck-out limo.

"Dimes, this could take a while. Go have fun, meet babes and eat some fast food would ya." The slate haired teen told the gray haired man, who simply got back inside of the limo with no intention to carry out _those_ orders. The black stretch limo had now driven away leaving a scared Tala and contemplating Kai staring at the ice cream shop from the corner of the sidewalk they stood on.

"Taaaaaaala?" Kai called softly, smiling that whole time. "It's that time of the month again." The redhead groaned. Not only would Kai pay some dude one hundred dollars to pretend to be his boyfriend for a day, but he would also make Tala pick the "cutest" guy there. "What do you think about him?" Kai asked pointing to a blond sitting with whom Kai thought was his girlfriend outside of the store.

"Come on, Kai, he has a girlfriend." Tala said being totally reasonable. Being a guy himself, Tala knew perfectly well that another male would probably be stupid enough to pretend to be gay for one hundred dollars. Being a guy with an ex-girlfriend, Tala also was sure that this would cause problems in their relationship. He was now very sensitive about that subject, Mariah had definitely left her mark.

Upon going inside, they heard the familiar 'ding' of the welcome bell as they opened the door. Exciting their noses was the delectable smell of pastries and some ice creams. Kai and Tala went and sat in their favorite and usual seats by a window to the left of the shop, away from the door. One minute after they sat down a bubbly looking turquoise haired girl came walking up to their table.

"Hey boys! What can I get for you today?" they knew this girl as the never frowning Ming-Ming. She sometimes annoyed them, but was a great waitress.

"The usual." Both teens chorused casually, neither one returned her smile.

"I got ya!" then she turned and walked away.

Tala then looked back across the table at Kai, whom was smile again. "So, which one of these guys do you think should have the honor of being my boyfriend for the hour?" Kai asked.

Sighing, Tala's eyes swept the room, knowing Kai would never get talked out of this routine until Voltaire died. Even then, Tala thought, Kai would probably still bring a guy to his grave every so often. He didn't think any of the guys were cute or hot or whatever girls called them, so he usually picked randomly, any guy his eyes landed on. This time his blue orbs stopped on a very familiar face.

A black haired guy always sat alone at the far right corner of the room. He was always there when Kai and Tala showed up for a reason they couldn't figure out. Ming-Ming had once said that the guy was waiting for Kai to ask _him_ out, but that wasn't true… right?

"You think I should?" Kai asked obviously seeing the same person Tala was seeing.

"No, I think he's actually gay." Tala said cautiously.

"Good." The slate haired male replied. "The more convincing, the better."

"No! Double no! Hell no!" the blue eyed teen shot, figuratively speaking, putting his foot down…

Only for Kai to step on it… "Oh! Voltaire has an important dinner party tonight! It's perfect! No…" then he got that look in his eyes, Tala knew this look very well. It was that looked that undoubtedly said Kai's evil mind was turning and about to concocted that best bad idea Kai had ever thought. "Tala…" Kai hissed softly with that same look. "I just had the best idea."

The worst part was, usually those ideas involved Tala. "We could have a threesome!" Kai shouted, gaining many strange and disgusted looks, but he wasn't like Tala, he was use to having people talk about him badly behind his back.

"WHAT!?" the redhead yelled standing, causing more heads to turn his way. After noticing this, he easily slid back down in his seat.

Kai leaned across that table to Tala, folding his arms under his chin. "Don't you ever get tired of attracting unwanted attention?" he whispered to a blushing Tala. "Anyway, we aren't going to do anything with the guy, you know that. All you have to do is go over and pretend that we both like him, tell him I think he's cute."

"Why do I have to go by myself?" the teen protested.

"Because I'm the cute, shy one." He rolled his eyes as if Tala was already supposed to know that.

"Don't you have a problem with everybody in Russia thinking you're gay?" the best friend of an insane, evil minded, mischievous adolescent asked, trying to weasel his way out.

Kai sat back in his chair and looked thoughtful, placing his index finger and thumb on his chin. Tala's hopes rose… still rising… still rising… "Nope." His hopes just dropped from an indescribable height and shattered, never to soar again. "Now go."

Sighing again, Tala got up from his cushioned seat and slowly made his way over to the guy. Tala looked back at Kai who was smiling then turned back to a not-surprising smiling guy.

"Hi." Tala said. "May I sit down." _I can not believe I'm doing this._

"Yeah." The raven-haired guy said happily.

"My name is Tala." The redhead introduced himself sitting down.

"I know who you are." The guy said seductively, making Tala feel very uncomfortable. Drawing back his feet from the guy who was beginning to play with them, Tala looked pleading over to Kai whom was laughing at him and eating ice cream.

"My name is James." He said, trying to put on a cool, hot front… if that makes any sense.

"Um… Well, James," Tala started not noticing the 'ding' of the door when somebody walks in, or the dangerous footsteps getting closer to him. "Well, my best friend and I think that you're really cute." Tala looked back over to Kai, whom was no longer smiling. His eyes were wide and full of terror. Tala smirked, thinking that Kai was chickening out. Feeling a wave of vengeance sweep over him, Tala continued.

"Yeah, me and him have been watching you for some time and was wondering if you wanted to come to our house tonight." Tala looked back over to Kai whom was now shaking his head mouthing 'no', then stopping and sliding his hand across his neck as if to say 'cut it out'. But Tala continued, wanting to get Kai back for making him go over there in the first place.

"Of course I will go to your house." Now James had a frightened expression on his face, which confused Tala. "But… um… I don't think your sister—cousin--" he sounded as if he were guessing and someone behind Tala was telling him if he was wrong or not. "… girlfriend—ex-girlfriend," the guy waited for a few more seconds as if confirming it, "would like that very much."

At those words Tala's blood ran cold. He suddenly knew why Kai was telling him to stop talking and looked over to his best friend whom was pretending to play a sad song on a violin.

"Hello Talaver." Came a chilling voice. Tala slowly turned around in his seat sending him staring straight into the glaring eyes of Mariah. "Is this who you dumped me for?" she asked coldly.

"No, I'm not gay! I mean… it was just a joke!" then reality kick Tala in the butt. Why was he explaining something he didn't have to, to his **ex**-girlfriend? What could she do to him? They broke up. "I don't have to tell you anything." He said smugly lying back even more in his chair.

Kai had now gotten up and joined Tala's side. "Talaver Yuriy Ivanov, you make me so mad! I can't believe I ever dated you! Not only did you leave me, but you left me for another male!" she shouted reasonably theatrically.

"No, I'm not going out with him." He said trying to stop heads from turning his way again. "It was a joke."

"You think our relationship was a joke!?" the pinkette was even more outraged now that she thought she knew what Tala really thought. (A/N: That wasn't confusing at all.-sarcastic.)

"No! This was a joke." He tried to defend himself, but it only seemed to dig his hole deeper.

"You think I'm a joke. O.k. that's it! We're over… completely."

"But I already-"

"Girls!" Mariah didn't even give him a chance to finish his sentence. It wasn't long before, what looked like thousands of girls piled around the tiny shop, looking ready to stampede. Tala could have sworn he saw the breath come out of some of their noses. A cacophony of noises could be heard, Tala and Kai's heartbeat seemed to be the loudest to them.

Somewhere in the mix, James found a way out and took it, leaving his "lovers" to fight for themselves. Mariah looked maniacally at them. Tala glanced to the door blocked by, what looked like, girls piled up on girls. Kai would have made a discussing comment about that if he weren't fearing for his life. The only way out was through the back and they weren't exactly sure if that wasn't swarming with girls.

"Tala! I know I've never told you this, but I think now would be the appropriate time." Kai yelled through all the noise. "I… I…"

"What is it?!"

"I'm the one that stole your cookies in the first grade, not Tyson." Kai admitted shamefully and hung his head.

"You did that! I punched Tyson in the face because of you?" Tala asked. "…Oh well."

Then suddenly, Mariah broke up their moment by shouting, "Get 'um!"

* * *

That's where I'm stopping! Please review! Sorry, if it seems a bit rushed. My stupid little brother told my mom I wouldn't let him get on the computer and now I have to get off... even though he had it ALL LAST WEEK!

**Sneak Peak of the Next Chapter**:

Kai and Tala had barely made it out of the crowd of raging girls ready to kiss and cuddle them to no end. They may have made it out with their lives, but not with their clothes! They were naked in the streets of Russia!


	3. Naked Reality

Jashomara: Thank you all, my beautiful and handsome reviewers! It is your reviews that make me want to become a better writer… and the fact that I love writing. Lady J, please do the disclaimer.

Lady J: Wait, before I do the disclaimer I must say that the last chapter seemed kind of unrealistic. I mean, millions of girls coming out of nowhere on Mariah's command… come on! This chapter we're going to bring the story down to real life drama. And…

Jashomara: Disclaimer.

Lady J: Um… oh yeah, we don't own beyblade.

* * *

**Last time on Me, Myself and Kai:**

"I'm the one that stole your cookies in the first grade, not Tyson." Kai admitted shamefully and hung his head.

"You did that! I punched Tyson in the face because of you?" Tala asked. "…Oh well."

Then suddenly, Mariah broke up their moment by shouting, "Get 'um!"

**Now:**

Then, hundreds of girls poured into the small ice cream shop grabbing and scratching toward Kai and Tala. The two teen boys looked at each other and started to run to the counter, but just before they reached it, they were snatched back into the crowd of raging fan girls. They had no clue were they were being taken, the only reason they knew they were out of the shop was because they could see the sky.

The air, however, was mixed with all kinds of perfumes, baby power, scented lip-gloss ect… The girls seemed like they were trying to suffocated them rather than love them. Toes were being stepped on and hair was being pulled. Then, in all his dizziness, Tala looked up and saw a word that gave him hope, a word the was so undeniably powerful it could control the roughest of crowds, a word so magical that every girl loved it. The word he saw was in big, bright red letters… SALE!

"Look! It's a sale at Macy's!" the redhead breathlessly yelled over the crowd. It wasn't long before some other girl repeated it… if that was a girl. Tala didn't look at her face, but that green Mohawk and flat chest did look suspicious.

Kai and Tala had barely made it out of the crowd of raging girls ready to kiss and cuddle them to no end. They may have made it out with their lives, but not with their clothes! They were naked in the streets of Russia!… In front of Macy's!

They quickly ran for the first cab they saw, which wasn't that far away. "Quick, get us to Hiwatari Hits Street as fast as you can." Kai shouted in an exasperated tone handing the driver 200 dollars… rubles (A/N: A lot of cash o.k.). Then when the driver looked back to take in Kai added, "And don't look at us!"

The driver swiftly took the money and snapped his head back to the direction of the road.

"We barely made it out alive!" Tala yelled.

"Yeah, that was pretty close." The slate haired teen agreed getting some old newspaper he had just found to cover them.

"Well, it wouldn't have been close at all if you wouldn't have made me go over and talk to that guy!" the redhead fumed snatching the paper Kai was handing to him from the slate haired teen, making him flinch. "Oh, and if you were still worried about not giving Voltaire a heart attack, worry no longer, I'm pretty sure it'll be a huge shocker when we show up to his little party naked!" That's when the driver glanced back at them in his rearview mirror. "Eyes on the road!" he exploded again.

Nostrils flaring, Tala looked out of him window, holding the newspaper in place so it would hide his you-know-what. He still hadn't noticed Kai's sorry and sad expression.

"All you had to do was say no." the two-toned haired teen pointed out. Tala turned to look at Kai, whom seemed to be on the brink of crying.

Tala sighed. "It's… o.k." he let his face expression get softer. Kai looked at him and instantly smiled. "I'd hug you, but I don't think that would be appropriate right now under the circumstances." Then they both started to chuckle at their little dilemma.

"We're here." The driver announced, stopping Kai and Tala's moment. They both got out covering their front and their backs with newspaper while running up the paved hill to the Hiwatari Mansion.

Tired, but not sweaty, due to the extra wind, they made it to the top. Both boys looked in awe at the massive entrance doors. It was just like coming to a new house.

"Um… Tala, maybe we should go around the back… for your sake I mean. I know how you feel about being naked in front of people." Kai said sheepishly and started to ease off.

"Not so fast Hiwatari. I'm feel perfectly fine about that." Tala retorted sternly, seeing how Kai liked being put under painfully embarrassing pressure.

"Are you sure? Because you ass looked very pale, maybe we should wait until after we hit the tanning spa." The crimson-eyed teen tried again with rising hopes. He knew self conscious Tala was about his body… especially his butt.

"Actually it was just a few months ago that Mariah said I had a very nice looking ass, thank you." The redhead shot back feeling superior and like he had total control of the conversation. To bad it was only three seconds after he made his statement that he noticed what distasteful and perverted thoughts that one little sentence could put into Kai's immature mind.

"Um… well," Kai stopped his whole train of thoughts, which was only two carts, and looked his friend dead in the eyes with a very amused expression. "You and Mariah did IT!?" Then, stopping his three cart train of thoughts he put on an angry face almost instantly and continued, "And you didn't me?!"

Tala smiled nervously. "Um… well." It was in that moment that Tala noticed he and Kai were having a conversation outside of a mansion on a cold day in the nude!

"You lost your virginity and didn't tell me?!" Kai continued outraged and, somewhat, actually serious.

"I've done it with plenty of girls!" the redhead defended, feeling that his manhood had been threatened.

Kai snorted. "You have not! I would know! And you do realize by saying that, you admit to doing IT with Mariah!"

"… I didn't do it with her! We…" Tala was struggling to find the words.

"YOU?" Kai tapped his foot impatiently, showing off his bare leg.

"We…" he blush. "We messed around o.k."

"You still could have told me!" Kai yelled.

"I did! You were studying a carton of orange juice." Tala yelled back.

**Flashback **

Tala had just come back from a long date with Mariah and looked exhausted. He went into the kitchen to find Kai staring at the side of an orange juice carton. The redhead didn't ask any questions, knowing that he would just be walking into another on of Kai's very long stories usually centered on nothing-ness. He simply plopped into the barstool chair on the other side of the counter in the center of the kitchen with a dreamy look on his face.

"Kaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, you will **not **belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve what just happened to ME!" he sang while spinning in the chair.

"M-hm." Kai responded, not taking his eyes off of the carton.

"You wanna know." The redhead stopped spinning. "O.k. I was with Mariah, right." He stopped to put a large grin in play on his face. "And… we had just came from the movie. She asked me to go to her house." He cheesed again. "So, we went in and, get this, her parents weren't home!" It was only then that Tala noticed Kai wasn't listening, seeing as he hasn't make one discussing and immature comment yet.

"Kai, are listening to me?" Tala demanded.

"Sh…!" Kai glared weakly at Tala. Then he pointed at the orange juice carton and said, "It says concentrate."

Tala slapped himself in the forehead. "Well, listen anyway." Kai went back to staring at the carton.

**End Flashback**

"Yeah, good times, good times…" Kai sighed and stared off into the distance.

"Why are you two naked!?" It was only then that both teens noticed a young lady with blue hair and crimson eyes standing at the door with a very shocked expression.

"Mother?!" Kai exclaimed. Then a sudden wave of shock and embarrassment washed over their bare, pink/tan bodies as they headed inside of the house. Sitting in the front room on the sofa was a well-built young man with slate hair. His legs were crossed and he wore a stern look on his face.

"Why are you two naked?!" he asked outraged. "Voltaire, is this how you let them behave?" he turned to the gray haired man.

"Of course not! They had on clothes this morning." Voltaire defended himself, now standing up.

"Dad, you're here too?" Kai asked with a sudden change in character.

"And I'm glad I am! I will not have my son gallivanting around all of Russia naked. He is coming to live with me!" Kai's said father shouted, directing it towards his mom. Tala couldn't see the angry and distressed look Kai was wearing.

"I didn't exactly push him out the door like that either! He is my son! I gave birth to him! I decided where he lives!" the lady shouted back.

Tala and Kai stood looking on from the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, Kai. Let's go get some clothes." The slate haired teen's best friend tugged him up the stairs, away from the argument that had been brewing even before they got there.

Kai's mom: LaKaiara Rasheme'. 29-years-old. Half-Russian, half-Puerto Rican. She's one of Russia's best top models and has starred in almost 22 movies. She also has a short temper and a quick left hook. Likes being left alone.

Kai's dad: Lunar (Pronounced: Loon- air.) Hiwatari. 30-years-old. Loves to act, but has never had a real, firm job his whole life. He's kind of conceded at times, but can be a nice person… if he likes you. He's also a smooth talker, with even smoother dollars.

Kai's mom and dad has been fighting over him all of the 16 years of Kai's life, and he hated it. He was happy when the jury decided that he would stay with Voltaire when he was five, but now the he was sixteen, he had to make the decision.

**In Kai's Room**

As soon as the boys got in, Kai fell on the bed with his head in the sheets. Tala walked in and slowly close the door behind him. Out of the few people Kai somehow had a _relationship _with,Tala was the only one that knew his family life and also knew how much he hated it. Sure, Kai liked his parents, he didn't know them enough to love them, but from what he did know about them he knew he wouldn't want to live with either.

His dad was a conceded asshole who let him do what ever he wants and doesn't take care of him at all. Once, he even offered Kai beer… when he was nine! Deep down, you gotta admit that kids do want **some** discipline. Or else they'll never quite enjoy the blissful feeling of being sneaky and not getting caught or doing things that you shouldn't and know you shouldn't. Then there's the fact that teens need someone to bring them down to earth when they feel like they have conquered the world.

His mom on the other hand, just didn't have time for him. She was always starring in this movie and talking to that modeling agency. Kai didn't even understand why she had a kid in the first place. Then, every time she goes out, Kai's left with her boyfriend of the month, which was a very uncomfortable situation. The guy would usually ramble on about how great his mom and his relationship was. One even threatened Kai that if he messed it up he was going to make sure he'd never live with his mom again. Kai was outraged… but that's was back in the days when he cared if he got to stay with his mom.

The only time he ever sees them, since he turned eleven, is when they come to the mansion and argue. Thus, his predicament.

Tala walked over to where he was lying (still naked) on the bed and sat down beside him. "You o.k. Kai?" he asked softly, not wishing to upset him further by annoying him if he didn't want to talk.

All Tala needed was the slight nodded Kai gave him before he got up and went to the closet. He opened the doors revealing a wide variety and large collection of clothes. Peering past all the colorful and fancy clothes, Tala pulled out two pairs of dark blue, baggy, denim shorts. Then he closed the closet and set the clothes on the bed. It didn't matter if he was walking around naked, it _was_ his room. He had nothing Kai hadn't seen already.

(A/N: May I remind you that this is not, never was, and never will be yoai.)

The teen then moved to their huge waxed wooden vanity. He grabbed the golden handle of the top right dresser and pulled it open. His eyes scanned over the neatly folded under garments before finding what he was looking for. He pulled out blue boxers and a black tank top then went a set them on the bed beside the unmoving Kai.

"Kai, your clothes are on the bed." Tala informed heading back to the other dresser to get his own black boxers and tank top. It was only after the redhead got dressed that Kai slowly rose from the bed.

"I fell asleep." He chuckled lightly while rubbing his eye.

"How'd you do that?" Tala smiled from his sitting position of the ground, his X-Box controller in his hands.

"Did you know that our bed is extremely comfortable when you're naked?" an awed tone painted his voice as he pulled his tank top over his head.

"No, I didn't." the redhead said, slightly discussed. "You've got to remind me to tell Dimes (their butler) to change the sheets before I go to bed tonight."

Kai shrugged unfazed and went to sit by Tala on the ground. They spent a few minutes in silence, gazing at the motorcycle on the t.v. race past other cars and down the dark New York streets. Blue and crimson eyes seemed unblinking and glued to the screen. That's why they got along so well, both of them loved silence. Having knowledge of when the time to and not to talk was what made them best friends. There was complete silence in the room, but some unknown noise was filling the air down stairs. It was only until they heard the alarming crash of glass, that they noticed something was going on.

They rose to their feet, a little wobbly from sitting so long. Tala turned off the game as Kai headed for the door. Had his parents decided to kill each other right then and there, while he was inside of the house? A huge wave of boisterous commotion hit them when Kai swung the door open. Casting confused looks toward each other, they swiftly moved to the balcony. Looking down, both faces displayed the same shock, confused almost angry look.

Kids… there were little kids rampaging through the mansion. Some were jumping on the sofa, some were going around touching and "accidentally" breaking very valuable things and some where dumping powder everywhere!

"What the hell is going on?!" Kai demanded, knowing that Tala didn't have a clue either seeing as they both got in there at the same time.

Tala didn't hear him, but it would seem that a little girl did. She was covered in powder and had an evil and mischievous grin, that was missing some teeth, on her face. "Hey!" she yelled at the top of her little lungs. "That's the guy that wouldn't buy me any ice cream!" she pointed at Kai.

"Kai, what is she talking about." Tala gave him the "what-did-you-do-this-time" look?

"Well," he smiled weakly at Tala. "Remember those cute little kids you flicked off at the mall today? Before they met you, they kinda ran into me and asked me if I could by them ice cream. And… I said 'no, go wine to your mamma.' They grinned back evilly and said, 'At least my mom has the money to buy ice cream.' Then I responded, 'You're mamma can eat cake!' They took it offensively, kicked me in the shin and ran off."

Tala groaned. "How'd they know where we lived?" he glanced back at the ominous looking 8-year-olds.

"I don't know, but I bet it has something to do with you're diabolical ex-girlfriend." Kai accused, then he realized something and groaned. "Whom still has my diary."

"Come on you guys, lets get 'em!" the girl yelled.

"No, let's not get 'em!" the redhead yelled moving away from the balcony upon seeing babies starting to crawl to the front of their magically appearing kid army. They sat down on the carpet holding stinky diapers in their hands, ready to throw.

The rest were behind the babies armed with lethal bottles full of acidic juice. Kai and Tala backed up some more.

"Kai, we're about to be in some deep shit."

"And juice!"

* * *

Well, that's all for now. O.k. so the last part wasn't realistic at all, but I tried to make the story funny, yet serious.

Please review!


	4. Paradise

Jashomara: WOW! I just finished reading the last chapter that I wrote to this story and boy did I have some spelling errors! Lady J, why didn't you tell me!?

Lady J: I didn't notice.

Jashomara: -groans- I got to proof read more carefully.

Lady J: Anyway, thanks for reviewing in spite of our stupid mistakes.

Disclaimer: We don't own beyblade.

* * *

The Russian duo backed away from the ominous baby army ready to attack them. Panic was written all over their pale faces as the diaper throwers readied their firearms. The toothless bottle shooters were also armed and dangerous with diabolical juice. "Tala," Kai whimpered. "If I die, I want you to have my orange juice." He glanced at his best friend. 

"Why do I always end up in these situations when I'm around you?!" Tala asked, rolling his eyes at Kai's verbal Will Agreement. "And where the heck are your parents when we need them!?"

Just then, the little girl from before yelled, "Fire poop!" and all of a sudden Kai and Tala were covered in discussing, mushy baby poop. That's the worst kind! "Fire juice!" Next, they were squirted with juice of all different flavors. Something in the back of Kai's mind wanted him to open his mouth and taste the juice, but his common sense told him that if he opened his mouth he'd taste something all right, but it might not be juice.

Tala was in an even more uncomfortable situation. Apparently some baby droppings (or shall I type) throwing, slid down the front of his shirt and was now oozing into his baggy pants. The juice made it even more wet and sticky. "Fire…" the girl stopped, seeing that they had no more ammunition. "Um… ANYTHING!"

Crimson and blue eyes went wide as the were pelted with bananas, cookie, bottles, insects, pillows, a 17 inch space rock directly from the planet Saturn that had been accidentally dropped in the Caribbean Ocean and licked by a million toads…

"Where the heck did these kids come from!" Tala yelled grabbing Kai by the shirt and dragging him down the hallway away from the fight.

"Great! You think of running after we get pelted with poop and juice." The slate haired teen commented.

"Shut up and run." The redhead yelled breathlessly. The rave of children dashed up the stairs was now after them. Luckily, Kai and Tala had their secret hide out. It was the place they stayed in when they wanted to just get away from anything and anyone in the world. Turning another corner, Tala helped Kai quickly remove a portrait of Kai's cousin, Sheca, whom Kai hated very much for a reason we won't get into right now, from the wall. Behind the picture was a tiny red button with the words 'do not push', under it was an arrow pointing up. That's how the duo found the place. Everyone knows 'do not push' really means 'push'.

Tala pushed the button. Knowing he only had three short seconds, he quickly put the picture back on the wall to hide the button once again. After, the floor suddenly opened up underneath them making the teens fall in.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Tala yelled falling down and down…

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Kai yelled, right behind Tala. They both landed with thud on a blow up mattress.

After getting over the extreme headache he had, the nausea from the poop all over him hit Tala's nose at full force. "I don't feel so good." He put his hands to his stomach and hung his head.

"You don't smell so good either." Kai pointed out, holding his nose so he wouldn't smell the repulsive scent of the brown and green stuff they were covered in. "We need baths."

Clamping his nose as well, Tala looked around at the oh-so-familiar place he and Kai liked to call Paradise…literally. This room was the most hidden, secretive, coziest room in the entire five story mansion in Kai and Tala's eyes. It was their special room. Why was this room so special, you ask? Well, let's start with the appearance.

The room was a square, but Kai and Tala always thought of it as a diamond.

Two walls of the room, back and one side or bottom two were made of glass and behind that glass was water, fish, sharks, sea snake and everything! Apparently, there was some kind of ocean hidden deep under the mansion that no one knew about… except the original builders of this secret room. Also, a half of the floor was made of glass from corner to corner and on back, so Kai and Tala could step out on it and look down at the fish and other sea creatures. It was like being in an unmoving submarine. The roof was just like the walls too! The glass stopped at the tunnel Kai and Tala fell through. Tala looked up to see a turtle pass over him.

That wasn't all though, as for the front walls, which weren't glass, it was the electric supply. The glass was very thick, so it wasn't licking anytime soon. A refrigerator, which Kai and Tala had to constantly refill was plugged up. A washer and dryer was down there for such times as this one. There was a microwave too. By the microwave was a sofa-bed, which is what they slept on. Can't forget the t.v. in the middle of the room which had an extension cord. It was sitting on a computer desk, with a computer beside it and under it was a wide collection of CD's, DVD's and video games. Can you see why they call this place _Paradise_? And now, the part we have all been waiting for! Along the sky blue wall with all the electric stuff was a door, a magic door… it was the door that led to, lo and behold, the bathroom!

"I have got to take a shower." Tala admitted sounding queasy, getting up from the blow up bed.

"Amen to that." Kai followed suit, stepping lightly, trying not to dirty up the carpet too much. "I love the fish down here. They're actually nice to me unlike the ones up stairs." He snorted. They walked into side of a nice clean bathroom complete with a long double sink, a hot tub, a pool and a big shower.

"After this, I think I want to soak in the Jacuzzi for a while. This has been a long day." Tala sighed while removing his do-do and juice infested clothes.

"Ew… I think one of those little turds dropped a turd in my hair!" Kai wined, inspecting his now brownish blue-ish hair in the mirror.

After both boys took a two and a half hour long bath, (A/N: You can decide if they took it together or not. Just know that nothing happened and they are NOT gay.) they got in the hot tubs for a long relaxing soak. Sighs escaped their lips as they felt the soothing heat of the bubbling water. The temperature was hot, but not too hot, relaxing their tense muscles. They placed cool wash cloth on their foreheads preventing unwanted perspiration.

"Boy, this place really takes me back…" Tala mused happily. That was the other reason Kai and Tala loved this place… it was where they first met…

**Flashback**

**Tala's POV**

I walked shakily down a long and unfamiliar dark hallway leading to God knows where. Tears were still fresh in my eyes from when I unwillingly departed from my heart broken and dejected mother. Why was this happening to me? Was one of the two questions I kept asking myself. The other was, what will happen to me?

I reluctantly looked up at the nightmare worthy purple haired man that was leading me down the hall. He stared back down at me with an eerie and somewhat loathsome smile. Turning my head to look forward again, I noticed we were coming to closed brown door with a word that I couldn't read at the top.

"You are going to love it here, Tala." Came the revolting voice of the man named Boris. Even his name sounded repulsive to me at that age, 'B' wasn't my favorite letter.

Entering the room, I felt a gust of warm air and was fairly happy seeing as I still had on the wet clothes. Wiping a dripping, red lock of hair away from my eyes, I look up to see a man with two-toned gray hair sitting at a big desk. His face was unreadable as he peered, almost glared at Boris.

"Master Voltaire, this is our new recruit. His name is Tala Ivanov." Boris pushed me forward to the now standing man.

He let out a 'hm' before staring at me for a long time with that same unreadable expression. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking, "How old is he?"

"Five, sir."

The heavy set man tugged at his neatly shaved beard and looked at something on his desk seeming in deep thought. I didn't know it back then, but this decision would send my life dashing in a completely different direction. "I guess he'll due." The gray haired man decided. "Get my limo ready, Boris, I'm taking Tala to see his new home."

The black stretch limousine was a gigantic step up from my dad's old Cadillac. The cold and brutal rain fell heavily on the roof of the automobile, but on the in side I was warm and dry, much to my pleasure. It didn't take forever for the car to heat up, like it always did in daddy's, and I suppose that was a good thing. The man and I sat quietly for a long ride until we pulled up into another colossal sized gate.

Things were usually always big to me, but this was ridiculous! As we drove further up a paved pathway on a hill, the house at the top got bigger and bigger. By the time we smoothly glided to a stop, it was gigantic!…And all I could see was a blur. The guy that was driving got out, unfazed by the rain, and came to the gray haired man's side. I think his name is Voltaire. I heard him calling the driver by the name of Dimes… funny, in Pre-K they told me dimes were something you use to buy stuff. Later, I found out that that was totally true. Butlers get you anything!

"Stay here." Voltaire instructed strongly and I obeyed. He got out and closed the door firmly behind him. Being alone in a car was fine with me. Sleeping in a car was o.k. too. My daddy forgot about me all the time when I was smaller and I would usually remain unmissed until several hours later.

A few minutes of contently staring at the rain passed before someone came and opened my door. A rude gust of wind and little drips of water hit me as I scooted closer to the exit of the car. Dimes had opened the door. I didn't want to get out, I was highly comfortable where I was, but unwillingly, I got out of the fancy limousine.

Under the semi-dryness of the umbrella I could now clearly see the enormity of the "house" was what I referred to it back then. I was waiting for Dimes to walk, but he stayed still, looking straight ahead of him. "Go when you wish, Young Master." He told me.

_Oh, I walk first?_ I took a few slow steps looking up at Dimes occasionally, wondering if I was walking to slow, but apparently not, seeing as he kept at my pace without so much as a grunt. Finally we reached the dry and warm inside of the mansion. I looked in awe and amazement at all the things in this immense new world, it was another big step up for me compared to the small house I use to live in. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Dimes, please show Tala his room." Voltaire asked/commanded while walking away. "Afterward you can roam about if you wish, Tala."

Dimes took me to yet another big room. "Your room, Young Master Tala." I was loving the big life, but I still wished I was with my mommy. She'd be very happy to know that I'm very well off where I am. Dimes walked out of the room to let me adjust to my new surroundings, I guess.

Adjust I did! I walked over to my bed, which could fit about ten me's in it, took off my squeaky wet shoes and soaked socks, then crawled on to it. Standing up, I looked into the vanity mirror across from me with a huge smile on my face and jumped once, twice, three times, this was fun! It was only the fourth time that I jumped that I realized there were some clothes sitting on the bed. It was an outfit consisting of dark blue pants, white underwear and a red shirt.

The whitie-tightie's fit me just right, did they know my underwear size already? Creepy… Now that I was dry, with the exception of my damp hair, I laid back in my fluffy bed and took in my very new and awe worthy surroundings. Vanity, closet, t.v. on top of a dresser, simple light blue walls. I liked this. I then remembered that Voltaire said I could roam around as I wished. I was five and curious, there was no worry in my mind for getting lost.

Walking out, the beauty and immense size of where I was hit me again. Too excited to contain myself, I darted right and was immediately greeted with a well-lit hallway. The walls were simply light blue with white swirls. The many portraits engrossed me as I slowly began my tour. The people all looked happy and wealthy, I wondered if I'd be one of them some day… I walked for a while still studying the picture on the wall with excited anticipation to see what kind of person was on the next. The were fat people, tall people, grumpy people, happy people, wise looking people and it went on… Not remembering turning any corners, I looked around dumbfounded to see that I was in **very** unfamiliar surrounding.

Still without fret, I continued to gape at the pictures until I came to a space where a picture was obviously once there. No high-class family with, I supposed, lots of butlers would leave a space in the middle of their beautiful picture collection. Wait, there was something there though. A shiny, red button.

"D-do… n-n-ot… p-p-u-sh…" I sounded out the words. Curiosity just consumed me. I averted my eyes from one side of the hallway to the other, then without hesitation, I reached up and pushed the button. Before I knew it, the floor opened up beneath me and I started to fall at an alarming heart pounding speed. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Down and down I fell…

…Until finally… "Owmf!" I land on my butt on some kind of bouncy thing.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" I heard someone yell. Shocked, I looked up and there he was... Straight blue hair framing his smooth face, gray baggy pants being held into place by a tight looking belt, black tank top fixed loosely over his small figure… it was a boy. He looked around my age.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" I yelled immediately after he stopped.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" we both yelled at the same time.

"How'd you get in my hidin' place?!" He demanded walking toward me. "Did those sneaky ninjas tell you? I knew they couldn't be trusted!" Ninjas? Looking passed him I was terrified by what I saw.

A gigantic gray shark had just swam up behind the boy. "Watch out! A shark's about to eat your head!" I yelled, jumping of the bouncy thing I landed on, only to slip, trip and fall over the edge. Rubbing my aching head, I looked up to see the boy laughing… at me!

He calmly walked over to where I was. "The shark…" I trailed off to see that the sea creature had turned and gone away about its business.

"Is my friend." He finished my sentence. "All a' the fish are my friends!" he said helping me up. "'Xcept for the ones up stairs in the tank… they're always teasin' me!" he folded his arms. "Meanie fins!"

I glanced cautiously back at the ocean, which I had just discovered was kept back by glass. I sighed in relief.

"…Stupid fish, always teasin' me and sayin' mean things and blowin' bubbles at people… and… and…My name's Kai, what's yours!" he randomly burst out.

"I'm Tala." I answered shyly still looking around the big room.

"You mus' be my new friend. My granddaddy's always getting' me new ones, but most of them are meanie heads that only wanna do weird things, like play with toys or somethin'." He walked even closer to me. "Yoooooouuuuuu don't wanna play with toys, do ya?" he eyed me with his red-ish orbs.

I blinked a couple times before answering, "Only if I get bored."

"You won't! Not when you're around me anyways!" Boy was that the truth! "From now on we're going to be best friends!" he draped his arm over my shoulders and stuck out his chest. "Through sticks and wind, for pitchers and for pourers, in thickness and in elves, till naptime do us part!" he said his speech proudly. I just looked at him strangely, later I found that I would do that a lot. He then started to walk away to the refrigerator and got out two Sunny Delight juices. He handed me one. "Hey, after this you wanna get married?!"

**End Flashback**

Tala sighed, "Yep, these are still the days."

"What?" Kai asked with his eyes closed.

"I said I love you." Tala lied, but it was a good lie. (A/N: Not yoai!)

"Cool." Kai answered with a smirk, knowing that's not what Tala said. "I wonder what those brats are doing." he admitted.

"This is really relaxing, let's not think about the negative." Another sigh escaped their lips. "Now all that's missing is one of Mariah's massages."

"Oh, is that all I'm good for!?" Both (naked) boys jumped up from their sitting position in the Jacuzzi to see the smirking pink haired neko-jin sitting on the sink, watching them… though, not wishing to see any private parts, which were now being exposed.

* * *

Did you like it?! Mariah's finally about to fully come into the story. Well, I hope I didn't have any mistakes in this chapter. Oh, and could you imagine _Paradise_? It's really beautiful… if you're not hydrophobic.

Tell me your thoughts!

Peace out!


	5. Football Anyone?

Gr… my computer keeps deleting my files! This is my third time writing this… not the chapter, but the starting thingy. This computer is jacked up! 

Anyway, thanks to: **kavbj**, **Bluestray**, **Queen Dark Amethyst**,** pantherdemonXO8**, **BeMyfRIeND4eVA** and **Demoness-MarlstonWells69ner** for reviewing. I don't know about everybody else, but I liked that last chapter and I hope this chapter will be better.

Disclaimer: I'm so use to putting this… I don't own beyblade.

* * *

**Last time on Me, Myself and Kai:**

"This is really relaxing, let's not think about the negative." Another sigh escaped their lips. "Now all that's missing is one of Mariah's massages."

"Oh, is that all I'm good for!?" Both (naked) boys jumped up from their sitting position in the Jacuzzi to see the smirking pink haired neko-jin sitting on the sink, watching them… though, not wishing to see any private parts, which were now being exposed.

**Now:**

"Ew…can you two sit back down!" Mariah yelled covering her eyes and was suddenly splashed on the feet by the waves of warm water the two males made when they sat.

"How do you just keep randomly appearing the way you do!?" Tala questioned, still a little embarrassed.

"Randomly appearing? What do you mean?" she asked as if she hadn't noticed that she had run into the boys two other times that day.

"At the mall, at the ice cream shop, here!" the pinkette thought Tala was being a little theatrical, but then again, it was true.

"Why **am** I following you two?" she asked herself. Now the guys were beginning to think they were being stocked by a pink haired psycho! "I had something on my mind when I left home, but Mariam made me forget when she asked me to go shopping at the new mall. I just couldn't deny **that** offer. Then I remembered that I had to find you two, but got really pissed when I saw you flicking off those poor children and forgot. I can't believe you would do such a thing, Tala!"

"Um… can you just tell us why you're following us before you hurt me?" Tala pleaded, hoping with her memory, that she would just forget the whole thing.

The pinkette glared dangerously at the sly redhead before looking up at the ceiling indicating that she was thinking. "Then you two left and I was telling Mariam about what an idiot Tala was and started walking out of the mall myself. On my way home, I prefer walking, it keeps me fit, I saw some guys playing football and asked if I could play."

"You play footfall?" Kai asked not believing that bit for on second.

"Yeah, I love it! I have a bit of a tomboy streak." She smiled widely complementing herself. "If you don't believe me then how about we play our own football game tomorrow." She challenged with amusement in her eyes at the thought of her being able to truck Kai turning him into a plate of spaghetti, making her slightly hungry.

"You're on! I have no problem hitting a girl just to let you know." Kai informed with a smirk, making sure Mariah wouldn't expect any kind of mercy.

"And I have no problem defeating a boy." She smiled triumphantly as if she had already won. Tala wasn't so sure about the whole deal, he still remember when Mariah nearly hospitalized him because he ate the last potato chip while they were watching some dramatic action movie.

"It was just a chip." Tala muttered out loud accidentally, getting confused looks by Kai and Mariah. "Oh, sorry. Continue."

"ANYWAYS, I realized that my _boyfriend _was playing and joined his team." The pinkette made sure Tala heard the word boyfriend loud and clear. Tala was somewhat hurt because they had only broken up two weeks ago and already she had someone else, but he wouldn't let it show because he knew that's what Mariah wanted. She loved mind games. "So, after the game, my team won of course, I was really hot and went to go get some ice cream, the shop was right around the corner. I had no idea that you would be there, but when I saw you I had every intention on giving you…" she tried to remember again, it was on the tip of her tongue, but wouldn't slip out.

"The thing you can't remember?" Tala asked.

"Yes, then I heard what you said to the guy and immediately got mad because I assumed that you dumped me for him, but clearly it was because you were gay!"

"I'm not gay!" the redhead defended.

"Sure, that's why you're sitting naked in a Jacuzzi with a guy." O.k. Tala had to admit, it did look suspicious, but he wasn't gay!

"Kai isn't guy!" Tala shouted without thinking getting an extremely awkward look from Mariah.

"I'm not?" Kai said slightly hurt. "You mean all these years you've been lying to me?" he asked looking down at the water teary-eyed.

"No Kai I…" Tala began, a little over dramatically.

"Tala if you'd excuse me for a second I have to have a talk with Viper." Kai said crying. It was only then that the redhead and Mariah noticed that Kai was directing that last question to his… um… yeah… "Every time I use the bathroom, you lie!"

"No Kai, I meant that you're not a guy to me." Heartfelt dramatic music suddenly started to play. "You're my best friend." Now tears were in Tala's eyes as he and Kai gazed into each other's eyes. Mariah just stared at them both like they were idiots.

"Really?" Kai asked and Tala nodded his head. Mariah really wasn't going to say anything until they stood up and started hugging.

"O.k. that's enough! You're guys! You're naked!" she yelled, making the two break apart and cover up again. "Oh my eyes… this will be something for my diary!"

"My diary!" Kai suddenly remembered. "Mariah, you wouldn't happen to have it… would you?" the slate haired teen asked hoping his best friend's ex wouldn't blackmail him.

"Oh yeah! That's it!" Mariah remembered and pulled a black book with blue flames out from behind her back. (Jash: Ever noticed how cartoon characters do that, they just pull things out from no where.)

"My diary!" Kai shouted happily standing up again, "Can I have it?"

"As long as you quit flashing me!" Mariah turned away, but the wrong way and found herself staring a Kai's lower half in the mirror. "Ew…save it for your wife!" she couldn't understand why these boys just didn't seem to care if she saw them in the nude.

"So… you're just going to give it back? Just like that?" both boys blinked confused.

"It is yours, is it not!?" Mariah rolled her eyes, still not looking at the two.

"Thanks." Kai stepped out of the Jacuzzi and grabbed his diary then proceeded to hug it tightly, water still dripping from his body. "I've missed you!"

Mariah just sighed. Then, from somewhere the song _Pop, Lock and Drop It_ started playing. "What the heck?" Tala asked before Mariah pulled out her cell phone. (Jash: I love that song!)

"Hey Tronie, what's up?" (Jash: Some of you may know Tron from _Babies Change Everything_. You know, the strong Black guy that's always trying to kill Tala.) Mariah smiled brightly and hopped off the sink counter. "I miss you, too. I'll be out in a second K.K.?" then she hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.

"Well, it was nice talking to you losers, but my boyfriend's outside… now… how the heck to you get out of here?" she asked looking around the very large bathroom.

"Over there?" Tala pointed to golden elevator doors, getting slightly annoyed with Mariah's bubbly behavior. Who cares if she has a boyfriend?! Not him!

"Thanks." Then she bounced to some elevator doors and pressed the up button. "And remember Kai, we have a game tomorrow… 2:00 p.m… have a team of seven… be there." She then she stepped into the doors and stopped, "Oh and nice six-packs!" she complemented then disappeared behind the doors.

"Man, I can't wait to beat her down tomorrow! Come on," Kai walked over to the towel wrack and grabbed a towel then wrapped it around his lower half. "Let's call Bryan, Ray and Enrique. We have to get other players too. They can spend the night." The male teen said making his way to the golden doors of the elevator with Tala in toe. "Just when I was beginning to like her, she goes and calls me a loser! I can't wait for tomorrow." He made sure he still had his diary.

A second after they got into the elevator, Tala realized something that they had forgotten. "Kai, what about those runts out there!? Think of what they could have done to our room!"

"You're right!" Kai said remembering as the doors of the elevator opened. "Wait, but why didn't they run Mariah off?" Kai asked confused. Stepping out, they were in a round room with various colors and kinds of clothes covering every inch of the wall. They were in their closet! It had to be about 7yds in diameter. Walking straight forward they arrived at a wooden door. Kai opened it and they walked out, lo and behold, they were back in their room. Their clean room! Plopping on the light blue covered bed they sighed exhaustedly, happy that no harm was done to the room.

"What a day, what a day!" Kai said closing his eyes lying beside his best friend in the whole world. He turned his head to glance at the clock. In bright green it flashed: 9:37p.m. "Nine thirty-seven." He said dryly.

"You're lying! We did all that and it's still that early!" Tala exclaimed.

"That's 'cause time neva flies when you rollin' wit Kai." The slated haired teen rhymed.(Jash: if that's what you want to call it.) "Hey, a note! You're evil ex or the chaotic kids must have left it." Kai said noticing a neatly folded blue piece of paper lying beside the clock.

The redhead forced himself up so he could see the note. "Must have been Mariah, seeing as, if it were the brats it would be covered in poop and juice. Plus, when she wrote notes to me they looked like that. Open it." He urged.

Kai grabbed the note and opened it revealing neat cursive writing written in light blue gel pen. Before reading, he noticed the sweet and soft cherry scent that lingered on it from Mariah. After clearing his throat he began, "It reads: 'Kai and Tala,'" Kai paused to smile. "Ha! She put my name first."

"Keep reading!" Tala ordered.

"'Kai and Tala, before I went to your little hideout, I met your "friends" in the front room and made them clean up everything. I'm great with children. You're welcome. XOXO…Mariah.'" Kai grimaced.

"That was nice, considering Mariah did it for **us**." Tala let out a 'humph' and folded his arms. Then he looked over at Kai whom was still staring at the note in disgust. "What's wrong with you?"

"Yuck! She Xed and Oed me!" the slated haired teen exclaimed.

Tala rolled his eyes at Kai then stared at the note. "I'm about to call the guys and ask them if they have anyone else that can play tomorrow." He got out his red cell phone.

Kai put the note down and pushed himself off of the bed. "I'm about to go check out the front room!" he sprang up from the bed and ran out the door. "Wow! Tala, it's spotless!" The redhead's best friend exclaimed. "Come'mer!"

"I'm coming!" Tala yelled dialing Ray's number. He walked out the door and was amazed by what he saw. Everything seemed so much brighter and welcoming than before… even the places he couldn't reach, which was weird seeing as **kids** supposedly cleaned the place. "It's so clean… even the chandelier looks brighter! Those kids…" he trailed off baffled and slightly scared.

"Hello! Hellllllllooooooooo, Tala?" Ray's voice came over the phone.

"Oh, yeah Ray, Mariah challenged-"

"I know, I know football game right?" the raven-haired teen finished Tala's sentence.

"Yeah… she told you?" Tala asked rhetorically. "Anyway, I want you to-"

"Stay the night over you and Kai's mansion, so we can talk and _practice_ and… stuff." Ray continued.

"Would you quit that!" Tala commanded referring to Ray finishing his sentence. "So, when will you be over?"

"Now." Then the doorbell chimed some kind of happy high-pitched song.

"Crap! Though little monsters changed our scary, ominous doorbell song signaling that when a visitor came they took a risk of being handcuffed and gutted in our basement." Kai said with a sigh as he walked down the stairs. After Kai opened the door Tala hung up the phone and was greeted by the sight of not just Ray, but Bryan, Max, Tyson and Enrique as well.

"Let the party begin!" Enrique yelled at the top of his lung in that crazy surfer dude voice he has.

"Oh man, here we go." Tala expected nothing but childish pranks, loud and slightly annoying laugher and stupid games. "Max and Tyson are here too." He groaned.

"Hey Tala, how's it going!" the navy haired kid waved.

"Uh… Tyson…" Tala muttered under his breath. "I mean, hi Tyson!" he said more cheerily afterward hearing Kai stifle a snicker. Tala knew that whenever other people came around Kai would go back to his _emotionless _self, he didn't like that side of Kai. He only acted his wild and crazy self around Tala. He also let lose around Ray, Bryan and Mariah, but there was some control. He didn't threaten to kiss them or give them death hugs while singing _You're Just Too Good To Be True _like he did Tala.

Most of the night was full of video games, eating, watching t.v., eating, picking at the guys in swim suit model magazines claiming that they looked better and um… eating.

"Aren't you pigs full yet?!" Ray yelled from inside of the front room on the sofa with Tala, and Kai whom was eating a pizza.

"At least I have a sexy six-pack, or so your cousin says." Kai said while taking another bight of the cheeze and beef pizza. (Jash: I don't eat pork-pepperoni so neither does Kai… in my story.)

"You don't even know my cousin." the raven-haired teen replied.

"Yeah-uh! Mariah."

"She's not my cousin, she's my friend!"

"How come ya'll have the same color eyes?" Kai asked, feeling smart while glancing at the door of the kitchen, making sure Tyson nor Max sneaks up on them.

"Because we're neko-jin." There was a long pause.

"Oh." Kai finished.

Tala and Ray enjoyed a laugh at Kai's little interrogation. "How do you live with him?" Ray joked. Then, before Tala could reply, Ray continued. "Oh and speaking of Mariah," he started. Tala just knew this was going to be about the break up. "Why did you break up with her?"

_Knew it._ He thought. "Well… I liked Mariah, but… her and Kai just never got along and I plan on being with Kai for the rest of my life. I can't have a long term relationship with someone who doesn't like my best friend." He finished with Kai shaking his head up and down in agreement.

"And that's why you broke up with her?" Tala nodded. "So… does that mean you still like her?"

"Well… um…" _Now would be a good time for Kai to burst into my conversation._

"Hey you guys!" _Yes! Kai, I love you!_ Tala thought smiling. "Those preps are having a slumber party on the next block, let's go crash it!"

"Yeah, that does sound fun!" Ray agreed standing up then he leaned down to Tala. "This conversation is not over." (Jash: I was going to end the chapter here, but I think I should get the party crashing part over so I can start the next chapter with the football game.)

**Later That Night**

Seven boys snaked around the quiet neighborhood, which was more like big houses on each block, quite noisily so I guess it wouldn't be snaking, more like running blindly around until they hit something. The boys planned on doing some real damage so they brought loads of paint, ketchup and eggs. Houses began on the outside of a two-mile radius away from the mansion so they had quite a long way to go before they got to the preps' house.

Tala and Ray knew this was a bad idea, but kept quiet, it would be fun though. They just hoped their guardians didn't find out. Kai pretended he didn't want to do it either, but he was enjoying himself on the inside, smiling devilishly back at Tala every now and then when no one was looking.

"Why does Kai do that?" Ray asked Tala as they walked in the back of the boys.

"Do what?" the redhead noted that the preps house was now in sight.

"Get all anti-social when he's around other people." The raven-haired boy whispered trying not to drop the eggs he was carrying.

"He says it's because he doesn't like most of the people that want to hang out with him, but I know it's because he's afraid to let people know the real him and he's afraid to know them." Tala watched as the rest of the boys sped up and started to hide behind random things like they were some spy on a mission. "You see, most of the people that Kai open up to usually leave him and it hurts. He'd rather not be hurt." The redhead explained.

"Come on you guys, the babes are in sight!" Bryan whispered loudly looking into the window of a huge white and pink two-story house. "Let's get closer."

They walked up on the nicely cut yard and paved walkway making sure they didn't lose sight of the chicks… I mean girls. (Jash: I hang around way to many surfer dudes. I'm a girl!)

"Hey, look!" Max said from his position in front of the window. "There's eight of them, one for each of us."

"Max, check your math! There are seven of us, which means, one for you guys and two for me!" Bryan raised his eyebrows up and down.

"Whatever Bryan!" Ray elbowed him in the arm.

"So, how do we get in?" Tyson asked, hyper as ever.

Suddenly everyone looked back at Tala and Kai with plotting stares. "No. No! I am not doing that again and that's final!" the redhead refused.

A Few Minutes and Some Blackmail Threats Later 

"I can't believe I'm doing this **again**." The redhead said angrily under his breath standing in front of the light pink door of the preps house. He and Kai glared at the five boys urging one of them to ring the doorbell, before Kai lifted his finger and pressed the button. Laughs were heard from the inside of the house when a blond came to the door and opened it.

"Yes, may I help you?" she asked slinging some locks of her golden hair over her shoulders and batting her eyelashes.

Tala smiled seductively. "Yes, actually I think you can. My friend and I are very bored and looking for some _entertainment_."

The girl's blue eyes averted from Tala to Kai as the slate haired teen also showed off his pearly whites. "Hey girls, these two guys are bored and looking for some fun." The girl looked back at her gang.

"Let them come in!" they heard from inside and the girl move aside.

"My name's Clover," she introduced. "This is Camier, Candy, Cynthia, Crystal, Cinnamon, and Cadi." She pointed to each blond. Tala and Kai just smiled like bad boys as the females flirted with their eyes.

Then something caught Kai's eye in the far right corner of the very large front room. There was a girl sitting alone in a chair rolling her eyes at the rest of the girls. Her looks caught Kai by surprise, she didn't look like the preps. Her hair was short and white at the top with blue tips. Her crimson eyes looked dangerous and made you attempt to look away and tremble, but at the same time they made you want to stare into them. Her smooth caramel skin appeared so touchable Kai wanted to taste it. He didn't even realize he was staring.

"You got a problem with me fin face!?" she demanded, snapping Kai out of his thoughts.

The male teen looked around. "Who me?"

"You **are **the one staring!" The duel haired girl yelled.

Suddenly the girl named Candy popped up in front of Kai. "Sorry about Arura, she's not like the rest of us, she doesn't like to have _fun_." The green eyed girl said seductively while placing on finger on Kai's chest. The teen phoenix removed it quickly, afraid that she would be able to feel how fast his heart was beating. But why was it beating so fast in the first place.

Kai managed to look away from Arura and pay attention to what the preps were saying while distracting them with smooth talk and muscle in order for Tala to open their windows.

"So like you actually like use to be a _Play Girl_ model?" the on called Cadi asked leaning to him. "Could you show us some of your poses… naked?" she batted her eyelashes and licked her lips.

Kai flashed Tala a look that said, 'Are you done yet?'

"**Yeah… Kai**, do your routine." Tala gave him the signal.

"This is disgusting, I'm out of here!" Arura said standing up and heading for the back room. Kai was confused by his own emotion when he actually felt a little depressed that she was leaving. It made him staying there seem less fun.

"Wait Arura!" his mouth opened before he could even think. "Are you leaving… **now**?" The girl just stared at him with an irritated look on her face that made Kai feel slightly bad. But before he could dwell on that feeling Ray, Bryan, Enrique, Max and Tyson came through the four windows that Tala had managed to unlock and open with out the blond noticing… (Jash: Gee… I wonder why?… Just kidding, not all blond people are oblivious.)

Suddenly screams and 'my hair!' was heard from the house as the boy pelted the females with raw eggs, paint and ketchup. The guys were having the time of their life!… Not really… they do this at different girls' houses whenever they get together. It was more like a normal thing.

The house was in total chaos and the guys were loving it. Kai looked up at the balcony and saw Arura leaning on the rail laughing hysterically at the whole scene. Did he dare go talk to her?

"Aw… man! She's calling someone!" Bryan yelled before running to the door. The guys looked at the prep on her cell phone crying and they all made a break for it. Kai stood staring at Arura a little longer before forcing himself to look away and run. _Why does she seems so different than all the other girls? I've never even seen her before._

**Outside**

"Oh, man! That was hype!" Enrique said breathlessly while leaning on a tree about a half a mile away from the mansion.

"Real entertainment!" Max said running a hand through his hair to check for yolk or something else that shouldn't be in there.

"We need to do this more often!" Tyson suggested from his position on the ground by Ray.

"Me, Kai, Tala Bryan and Enrique do it all the time!" the raven-haired boy informed. "We'll invite you and Max next time around."

"Those babes never even saw it coming! We were like BAM!" Said the lavender haired teen whom was currently pealing a leaf.

"Man, I wanted to date that Clover chick!" Enrique shook his head and pretended to be sad. "Think she'll still go for me?" the guy just laughed in response.

"Kai, what do you think about it?" Tala question. "You've been quiet since we got here, what's up?" he asked his best friend whom seemed really interested in the dirt.

The slate haired male looked up to see everyone staring at him inquiringly. He took a deep breath and looked at Tyson, then Max, over to Bryan, Enrique whom wasn't to far from Ray, then his eyes landed on Tala.

"I think… I think I'm in love." He announced slightly dazed.

* * *

Whoa! Talk about love at first sight! Will we be seeing more of Arura? I guess we'll have to find out next chapter. Now, I'm about to go play Hide-And-Go-Seek in the dark with my little brothers.

OXOX

Please review!


	6. Front or Back?

Man, so much is happening this week that I wasn't even bored enough to update. Yay! I think I'm getting a life! Anyway… thanks for the nice reviews and tips.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.

* * *

_This very eventful morning has been kind of hectic to say the least. I have to worry about getting creamed by my ex in football, and Kai… he's just been fanaticizing about Arura._ Tala rolled his eyes at his best friend, whom had been digging through his wardrobe closet non-stop, desperately trying to find the perfect outfit. He had been searching all morning, wanting the outfit to be perfect and precise down to his underwear. Who knows, Mariah might pants him considering their interesting relationship. Tala didn't get why he was going through so much trouble for a girl that he had just seen last night who didn't seem to have any intention of going to the game anyway. 

"O.k. Tala, I think I'm ready!" Kai announced happily wearing a tank top and baggy blue pants. "Do these pants make my butt look big?"

"Kai, you have no butt." The redhead said, starting to walk towards the door while rolling his eyes. "Now, come on. The guys have been waiting for an hour. Mariah dresses faster than you."

"Mariah dresses faster than you!" Kai retorted matter-of-factly. Then he sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. "You think she'll be there, Tala?" Kai asked referring to Arura with little hope in his eyes.

Tala sighed and dropped his hand from the doorknob and turned to his best friend. "Mariah's a pretty popular tomboy, Kai. If Arura's anything like how she was acting last night, then they've probably met somewhere."

"That's means she'll be there, right?" he asked with rising hope.

"There's a chance." Tala knew that the chances of Kai seeing a girl that he had just met last night were very slim. If Arura really **was** Mariah's friend he would have probably met her by now, but he didn't want to drown Kai's good mood.

Opening the door Tala walked onto the balcony and down the stairs with Kai in toe. The guys were no where in sight, but unfortunately Kai's parents were.

"Kai, sweetie!" LaKaiara walked up to her son with a huge smile on her face.

_There goes Kai's good mood…_ Tala thought dryly.

"What do you want?" Kai muttered, face expression very uneasy. Tala was just trying to figure out where they were yesterday when the kids attacked them. He thought they had gotten buried in droppings.

"We need to talk." She informed looking down at Kai. She was a pretty tall lady seeing as she was a model.

"Spare me. I have somewhere to be right now." Kai said coldly and started to walk off, now with Tala at his side.

"Your blond friend told me you're football game didn't start until 2. It's 12, you have two hours." She said happily, making Kai slightly mad that Max just told his parents what he would be doing that afternoon. It was kind of a dumb thing to get angry over, but he would have known that if he actually thought about it. Most of the time whenever his parents came over, he didn't think about his actions or thoughts, anger and annoyance just consumed him.

"LaKaiara," he strongly started off, calling his mom by her name. "I had an A in math, I don't need a lesson over my school-less and suppose to be parent-less Summer Vacation. Goodbye." He continued walking to the kitchen.

"Kai, I just want you in my life. I want to be in yours." The supermodel pleaded. "After you come back from the game how about I take you and your friends for ice cream." She offered getting no response from Kai until he had now reached the kitchen door.

"Don't you have some modeling agency to talk to?" with that said, he left.

"Ha, that worked!" LaKaiara turned back and glared at Kai's dad whom hadn't said anything to Kai the whole time. "Face it LaKaiara, I'm winning this court case. I will have Kai in my custody and you'll be stuck with nothing. But don't worry, I'll let him come over once in a while. You know, whenever he wants to." Lunar said cockily followed by another laugh while lying back on the sofa.

"You two have to go to court before the end of summer. Both of you can support him, so the judge will just have to go on who he will be better off with emotionally." Voltaire informed getting up. "If neither of you win, Kai will remain in my custody."

"Don't worry Father, I will get Kai off your hands, I have the perfect plan." Lunar said almost maniacally.

**In the Kitchen**

"I hate my mom! I hate my dad! I hate everybody!" Kai said sitting down and folding his arms.

"Aren't you just the misunderstood rich kid." Tala smirked, ignoring the fact that Kai had basically said he hated him. He walked over to the kitchen cabinets and took out two bowls and placed them on the counter with the barstools set in front of it. "Cheerio's, Lucky Charms or Frosted Flakes?"

"Whatever." The slate haired teen said dryly.

How Tala hated when Kai got like this. He didn't smile, laugh, state his opinion or anything. He just sat wherever he was and thought up dreadful ways to get rid of his parents.

"Frosted Flakes it is!" the blue eyed Russian shouted triumphantly grabbing the cereal from on top of the refrigerator.

"Why can't I just stay where I am? I like my position right now… minus my parents. Me and you stay here and do our thing, Voltaire rarely shows up anytime, we go out and do what we want everyday and come back home round curfew only to get Dimes to let us sneak out later. Life is good!" Kai finished as Tala pushed a bowl of cereal to him. Kai picked up the spoon and took a bite (Jash: do you bite cereal or drink it. Well, I know you drink it, but… never mind.). Then he smiled. "Tala, you are the best cook ever."

"I try." The redhead smiled and began to eat his own breakfast. "I wonder what Mariah's doing right now." Tala mused.

"How about we find out." Kai smirked and gave Tala "the look".

"No. No! Kai, we are not spying on Mariah!" the redhead said strongly. "What about Bryan and the other's. We can't leave them here and we can't take them with us. Oh darn! Looks like we can't go." He faked a disappointed expression.

"Actually I was just thinking of calling." Kai's 'look faded and suddenly came back. "But you idea is so much better!"

"I get myself into these messes, don't I?"

"The guys are probably enjoying themselves by playing with the games in the rec. room. Well, scratch the 'probably', I know they are." Kai resolved confidently. "So, after we finish with the cereal we're going to Mariah's house! To spy of course." He smiled that rare smile that Tala loved so much, but hesitated to think of why it was gleaming in his presence sometimes.

"There's no way I can change your mind, is there?" the said pinkette's ex asked.

"Nope!" Kai said, accidentally spitting chewed Frosted Flakes on Tala.

"Yuck! Kai!"

"What? It's not like I've never spit on you before." Kai grinned.

"Kai." Tala groaned wiping Kai's particles on the kitchen floor.

**30 Minutes Later**

"I told you before, Tala, no matter how slow you chew I'm always going to get you to go where I want." The slated haired teen continued to drag Tala and his soggy cereal along with him to Mariah's street.

"Come on, Kai, let me eat!" Tala pleaded, desperately trying not to spill his soaked and very disgusting Frosted Flakes that might as well be called mush now… very nasty mush at that.

Kai suddenly stopped and let Tala go. He sighed and folded his arms, "O.k. Tala eat your cough-baby poop-cough… I mean… cereal." Kai said, rather immaturely.

Tala looked at the mush that looked like it was ready to jump out of his bowl, but that stuff was stuck, even if it did jump it'd just spring back in. The redhead grimaced before glancing back up at Kai. "Take me away." He gave in.

"Glad to." Kai smiled proceeding to drag his best friend along for the next five minutes. "O.k., we are near enemy territory." Kai whispered as they stood beside the fence of Mariah's backyard. Tala rolled his eye as Kai rather dramatically jumped over the gated fence and landed with a thump into Mariah's backyard. Tala then proceeded to walk through the unlocked gate, that Kai somehow didn't notice or choose not to notice, and into the backyard.

He silently met Kai on the other side with a superior smirk. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" Kai playfully glared. "Follow me, Chicken Wings."

Tala took two steps before stopping rigidly. "Wait! Chicken Wings?!"

"Yes. Now come Chicken Wings, we have much business to attend to." Kai gestured over to the window of a blue and white two-story house.

"Why is my name Chicken Wings?" the redhead said following Kai to the first window before the glass slide door.

"Because your hair reminds me of wings." Kai said as if it was so obvious while trying to see through the high window.

"And the chicken?" he folded his arms.

"I like chicken." The slightly immature teen grinned and returned to trying to see through the window.

"Well then… you're…" Tala struggled to think of a really embarrassing name, but all he could think of was, "Blue Fins."

"I like fish too! But I don't eat them because I think it's wrong." Kai said swiftly.

"Yeah I know, I know. Fish are people too, they breathe air and have scales just like you." Tala said nearly being able to stifle the huge laugh that was threatening to come out of his mouth.

"Would you please let that go. I was eight o.k.!" Kai yelled slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, and that gives you and excuse to confuse fish with whatever you were think of." Tala could no longer hold back the laugh he had been trying to subdue.

But the laugh stopped when they heard someone say, "Does that also give you permission to spy into someone's house?!" came an angry female voice. Both boys blood ran cold as they looked across the fence to the icy haired girl whom was the exact person Kai didn't want seeing him in this position. "Do you two perverts get your kicks out of spying on girls or is it just a 'guy thing'." Yep, you guessed it, it was none other than Arura.

_Well, at least she got to see Kai in his outfit._ Tala thought looking on the bright side. _This reminds me of the first time Kai and I crashed one of Voltaire's important meetings…_ _accidentally_ _of course._

**Flashback**

**Tala's POV**

It had all start when we heard Voltaire talking about business sharks that day and how they were going to eat his company. Kai and I took it upon ourselves to not let that happen, whatever it meant, but the problem was… we could never get away from the grown-ups! If Dimes wasn't with us, then the nanny was, if the nanny wasn't there then… well, another one was. We have lots of nannies… I wonder why. The strange thing is, they were all here before Voltaire brought me here!

Anyway, Kai and I are taking a bath at the moment. Kai said that this was going to be the time we would attack. Nobody ever watched us when we're bathing, but if you ask me that was the time they should have really been keeping track. Kids drown you know!

After and creating a bubble beard and mustache on each other and the water suddenly getting warmer around Kai, he was now ready to put our unplanned plan into action. "O.k. Tali, now is the time." he said as if we were about to go on some type of mission, but then again, to him we were.

"But, we're nakie." I said remembering what happened the last time we walked out of the bathroom with no towel on. Kai's teen cousin and her friends were all picking us up and pinching our cheeks and stuff. I hated it when people pinched my cheeks.

"Taliiiiiiiiiii," Kai pleaded. "We won't have another chance. We have to save granddaddy or the bus-i-ness sharks will kill his company."

"O.k. Let's go." I said getting out of the big tub that was full of a white coating of bubbles. "I wanted to swim tonight."

"Tomorrow, Tali." My partner in crime and sometimes justice followed me to the bathroom door. I opened the door and looked out, but wasn't the least bit shocked to see our middle aged black haired nanny standing beside the door.

"Tala what are you doing?" she asked looking down at me.

Before I knew what happened I felt Kai push me out the door yelling, "Rrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn!" I don't even know why he bothered to put me in front of him when I always end up being dragged behind him.

I looked back to see two nannies on our tails, but our naked little bodies made it a lot faster down the stairs than their clothed, big ones. As we got to the end I went right and Kai went left. It wasn't a tactic to get the nannies off our case we just didn't know where exactly Voltaire was. Unfortunately, I had only been in the mansion for five months and still hadn't quite gotten a feel the place. I turned into the kitchen and let's just say, wet feet and tile floors don't mix.

I slipped and fell as soon as I set foot inside and I hit my knees the hardest more than anything. A nanny soon came in a picture me up. I was now crying and holding my left knee.

"See Tala, that's why you need to stay in the bathtub while bathing." She said, I think she was smiling too. I was in pain and she was smiling, that's nice. I calmed down after that and was now sniffing and making the mean face. You know, bottom lip out and eyebrows scrunched closer together.

I didn't have time for a lecture, I had to go save Voltaire! So I did what I had to do. I bit her. She dropped me. I ran.

Halfway down a well lit hallway I heard Kai say, "Here Tali! Here!" he was standing in front of a brown door. Looking back, I saw a very mad nanny and ran as fast as my bar legs would carry me. Just when I got to the door, a butler (not Dimes) grabbed me and picked me up. Why was I always the one getting caught?

Then I heard Kai yell again. "Help! Granddaddy, help! Those mean homo-sexcicals are trying to… um… rap us!" he may have gotten the words wrong, but he also got everybody in the room's attention. Let's take this view from their prospective shall we? Two naked little boys, one being held in a much older man's grip and seemingly wet with sweat, but it was actually water. Oh yeah, we had them so good.

"What in the world!" a blond lady shouted at the same time as the man dropped me and held up his hands as if to say 'I didn't do it'.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I assure you there was no fowl play here. My two boys simply got lost on the trip from the bathtub to their rooms." Voltaire said getting up and walking to Kai.

"No we didn't! We came to save you from the business sharks!" Kai explained getting shocked looks from everyone. Voltaire picked Kai up.

"Kai, why are you always talking none-sense go back to your nanny."

"But granddaddy, you said it! You said that today you had a big meeting with a bunch off (beep) holes and (beep) suckers." All the "business sharks" were outraged and started storming out while Voltaire tried to convince them that Kai was lying. We didn't realize how much trouble we had gotten Voltaire in that day, but from then on, we were never aloud to be out of our room or in the mansion while he had a meeting… but we break that rule every month.

**End Flashback and Tala POV**

"Good times, good times." Tala mumbled. _Why was I remembering that again? Who cares, but the moral of this story is… you can run in front of Kai or you can get dragged behind him, either way, you're gonna get caught._

"Is he o.k.? He looks kind of spaced out?" the redhead barely heard a feminine voice say.

"Yeah, he just does that sometime. It's kind of hard to explain why." Kai informed.

"Yeah, but you better be able to explain why you're in my backyard!" they heard a male voice say. Tala turned around 'just in time' to see a gun been pointed in his face.

_Maybe I'm just unlucky_.

* * *

Well, how did it go? Was I trying too hard to be funny again or was it not funny enough? Tell me your thoughts, please. 


	7. Pure Rage

I'm back! SO sorry for the gigantic wait! I'm taking a break from BCE and Trust No One for a while to update other stories, like this one!

This chapter is a little out there… dramatic… More dramatic than funny, but the funny will return. Please read and tell me what you think. No harsh comments though, please.

* * *

**Last time****on Me, Myself and Kai:**

"Good times, good times." Tala mumbled. _Why was I remembering that again? Who cares, but the moral of this story is… you can run in front of Kai or you can get dragged behind him, either way, you're gonna get caught._

"Is he o.k.? He looks kind of spaced out?" the redhead barely heard a feminine voice say.

"Yeah, he just does that sometime. It's kind of hard to explain why." Kai informed.

"Yeah, but you better be able to explain why you're in my backyard!" they heard a male voice say. Tala turned around 'just in time' to see a gun been pointed in his face.

_Maybe I'm just unlucky_.

**Now:**

"Whoa!" Tala yelled, hiding behind Kai. "We didn't do anything!"

"What ch'all doin' in my backyard!?" a man with braided black hair demanded cocking his silver pistol to the side, now aiming it at Kai.

"Um…" Kai tried to think of a way out. He was usually good at that, but right now, nothing came to mine. He started sweating, as the dark brown eyes of the man seemed to peer straight into him.

"They came for the football game." Came a female voice. Mariah had stepped out from the glass slide-door, but the boys were so scared they didn't notice. "Calm down, Keith. They're my… opponents. They probably didn't know where the football field was and decided to come ask, right boys?" she asked, hoping her step daddy didn't recognize Tala's face.

"Mariah, ain't dis dat redheaded boy dat dumped you?" the pinkette's smile faded as her hopes were crushed. "Da one dat you said, if I eva saw 'em I should kill 'em?"

She her frown turned into a scowl. "Yes, but… he's only here so I can crush his team when we play football." She said, trying not to show the glimmer of hurt in her eyes.

"You mean so **we** can crush them." Arura corrected while jumping over the open gated fence like Kai did only a few minutes ago.

"You know her?" Kai asked without thinking, he always does that when there's a girl he likes around.

"What do you care!?" Arura shot, making Kai shrink back. It also made him realize who he was.

Suddenly, he re-gained his Kai-ness and cleared his throat. "Actually, I don't care. I was just wondering." _That made sense…_ Kai thought to himself sarcastically.

"Well, ya'll need to get up out of my yard!" Keith bellowed putting his pistol _safely_ back in the front of his pants and under his shirt. "I already need to put Red over here six feet under." He said pointing to Tala. "Git!" he yelled making the boys run fast out of the fence.

"So, what now?" Tala asked when they seemed far from the house. Kai looked thoughtful, but before he could come up with anything a hot pink Mustang pulled up beside them. The window was rolled down.

"You boys comin'?" asked the pinkette under the wheel. "Football games aren't really me, let's have some real fun." She smirked devilishly.

"We'd love to, bu--"

"We'd love to!" Kai cut Tala off upon seeing his crush sitting in the passenger seat. Tala glared at Kai as the two-toned haired boy pulled him into the back of the car.

Kai and Tala both breathed in an air of excitement mixed with nervousness, as the car grew quiet. Neither of them knew where they were going or what to say. It was also surprising that Mariah was quiet. All that was heard was the wind hitting the car and the wheel on the road. The guys glanced at each other. Kai gave Tala the 'you talk first look'. The redhead rolled his eyes. They couldn't see, but both girls had a maniacal smirk on their faces.

"So…" the blue eyed Russian started. "Where are we going?" The only response he got was Mariah pushing down on the gas petal causing the aerodynamic car to accelerate. "What the--, Mariah slow down." Glancing in her mirror the pinkette was thrilled to see the tense and terrified expressions on the Russians' faces. The wind whipped the car even harder as Mariah pressed down on the petal more.

"Slow your ass down, you stupid furball!" Kai finally shouted after trying keep his cool… with no avail. They didn't know why Mariah was doing this, it was probably for no reason, most of the things she did was purely for her pleaser. "I'm warning you!" Kai yelled, making Mariah accelerate even more.

"Where are we going!" Kai shouted over the blasting music Arura had just turned on. _Piece Of Me_ by Britney Spears came on.

_I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17  
Don't matter if I step on the scene  
Or sneak away to the Philippines  
They're still gonna take pictures of my derriere in the magazine  
You want a piece of me?  
You want a piece of me..._

Mariah and Arura sang as loud at they could with the song which seemed to be on full blast, drowning out the guys' yells and cursing. The pinkette looked in the mirror to see both the boys yelling. "What? What's that Tala? Talk louder!" she yelled and then followed up with a laugh.

"Your girlfriend's gonna kill us!" Kai finally screamed at Tala. The two-toned haired boy hid it well, but he seriously thought he was about to die that day.

_I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the rich and famous  
(You want a piece of me)  
I'm Mrs. Oh my God that Britney's Shameless  
(You want a piece of me)  
I'm Mrs. Extra! Extra! this just in  
(You want a piece of me)  
I'm Mrs. she's too big now she's too thin  
(You want a piece of me)_

"What?!" Tala bellowed, pointing to his ear. He was also about to piss his pants.

"I said," Kai took a deep breath. "YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS GONNA KILL US!" he yelled as loud as he could. Not only Tala heard it, but Mariah's acute hearing picked it up as well.

Skeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt. The car skidded to an immediate stop nearly yanking Kai and Tala out of the seatbelts while also strangling them. The music stopped at the same time.

"WHAT THE--"

"I am not, I repeat, NOT, his girlfriend!" Mariah cut Kai off. Her searing golden orbs glaring at him from inside the mirror. "Know what? Get out of my car, NOW!"

The Russian's glanced at each other before scrambling out of the car. "With pleasure!" the redhead exclaimed after he was a safe distance away.

"See ya tonight, babes!" Arura shouted out the window. Both girls broke into a wild laughed as Mariah sped away.

Silence… neither of the boys really knew what to say. Well… Kai doesn't stay speechless for long. "That scared the piss to my feet!" the redhead just looked at him. Then he realized where they were.

"Hey, she dropped us off back at the mansion!" Kai turned around to see the colossal sized gate at the entrance.

"Wow. I don't think I can move my legs." Kai stared blankly at the gate and the long path up to the mansion.

**3 Minutes Later**

"…That was kinda fun though." Tala chuckled upon having a flashback of what just happened. "Mariah's so crazy." He smiled to himself. Kai came to a sudden halt. Tala stopped too. "What's wrong?" Kai just stared at him in disbelief. "What?!" the blue eye teen asked confused.

"First off, if you think nearly getting painfully decapitated by a seat belt was… fun, then you better never complain about anymore of my ideas and secondly," dramatic pause. "You still like her, don't you?"

"No I-"

"Don't lie to me, Tala." Kai said firmly his crimson eyes searching ice blue ones. "Your eyes can't lie to me. You do don't you? Why'd you break up with her… really?"

Tala's head dropped. He tried to search for words, but none came at the moment. "Can we… talk about this later?"

Kai sighed and they began walking in silence again. "I wonder what Arura meant when she said 'see you tonight'."

"Her and Mariah must have another surprise waiting for us… tonight." Tala looked up at the mansion that wasn't far now. "Why do we always end up walking up here after our most exhausting adventures?"

"Oh no." the phoenix moaned as a baby blue BMW and a black Escalade came into view. "My parents… Walk straight pass them and don't say a word." Kai ordered and Tala nodded. _Why the heck are they still here?_ Kai thought irritated.

They walked in and there his parents were, still sitting with Voltaire and Ray, Max, Bryan and Tyson. Enrique left to go to some art show with Oliver in Paris. Laughter rang out in the room as soon as they walked in.

"You guys were so cute when you were little… what happened?" Bryan joked gesturing to a book… photo album.

Crimson eyes flashed with radiating anger as Kai just glared at the scene. "What's wrong, sweetie?" LaKaiara asked.

"Yeah, come on Kai! You should really see your bare butt pictures, they're hilarious!" Tyson laughed while waving the said picture in the air.

Kai took a deep breath and tried to turn away, but he couldn't, not this time. Rage rose in him and all Hell was about to break lose. _Calm down, Kai…_ he tried to cool himself down_. Count to ten, just count to ten…_

"Sweetie?" his mom pressed on.

His father sat back with an unnoticed smirk. _That's it LaKaiara, keep being motherly._ He thought mockingly.

_I'm about to kill someone._ The enraged phoenix thought balling and un-balling his fists. _10… 9…_

"Kai, why didn't you tell us you were a model?" Tyson just couldn't shut up.

_8… 7…_ he counted in his head.

Images of his childhood flashed through his head. Being torn away from a teary-eyed Tala just so he could be ignored by his negligent mother at whatever house she was living in at the moment. _6…5…_ He remembered crying all night while his dad and his girlfriend of the month argued drunkenly all threw his large hotel room. Kai had hid in a cabinet. _4…3…_ He bit his tongue when he remembered how good he felt when he got back to Voltaire; it maddened him because he hated Voltaire with a fiery undying passion. He wanted one of the very people who had hurt him so much in his life. That's just how bad he hated his parents. _2…1…_

"SHUT UP!" he bellowed with every ounce of feeling he had. Rage had taken over, fury consumed him. He held back all these years and he didn't know if he could anymore. "I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! STAY OUT F MY LIFE!" his face was red and seemingly turning purple. "Get out…" he hissed through his teeth at his "friends". His breathing was out of control. He felt a lump in his throat and a heavy pain weighing down on his chest. Thoughts of homicide ran through his head as he glanced from his mother to his father to Voltaire and then at his retreating friends.

After the gang has walked out of the door his father stood, smirking on the inside. _All according to plan._ "Son-"

"I AM NOT YOUR SON! I WAS NEVER YOUR SON!" Furious muffled screams rose in his throat. He couldn't stop breathing wildly. A swift hand swept a vase of flowers of a small pillar and crashed to the tile floor.

"Kai, let's just talk." Voltaire said calmly, knowing his grandson's temper tantrums even though he hadn't had one in a while.

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK! I WANT TO KILL!" he snarled through his teeth while pulling at his hair. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!" His father's inward smirk deepened.

"Kai," his worried mother had now realized how serious this situation was and backing up. "Put it down." Kai didn't know what she was talking about and he didn't really care at the moment.

"I thought you got him some meds for this." He couldn't believe what had just came out of his dad's mouth. No, strike that, he could, because his dad was a cold, heartless bastard who treated everything like dirt. How he wished he had a gun or a knife or something so he could just lash out on someone. ANYONE. It was only then that he noticed the warm liquid seeping from his hand. He had grabbed a rather large fragment of the vase.

"Kai…" called a soft and loving voice. But before Kai could think he swiped the glass across his best friend's face, leaving a gash. Tala just stood there, shocked and confused as to what had just happened. He felt warm liquid leaking from his cheek.

"Tala…" Kai whispered apologetically. He dropped the glass and ran out the room in rage and frustration.

Ice blue eyes followed him until he was out of sight, still lost…

* * *

So, what did you think? Over the top? Not enough rage? Confusing? Good? I have to know! 

Please review!


	8. To The Lake!

Someone reviewed this story and said, and I quote, "kai and tala are way ooc. fix that or throw this fic away :D" Too scared to even put their login name. That being said, I decided to do a quicker update! Haters… what can you do?

Thanks to: **Bluestray**, **rebelmewpheonix**, **Mister Melancholy **and** Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover** for reviewing! I'm so glad you guys liked it!

* * *

A lonely teen sat in the back of a huge mansion waiting for someone to come comfort him and just tell him what the heck is going on. The soft wind seemed to be the only comforter he had right now, stroking his hair gently. A silent, unseen crystal tears fell from his eyes onto his pants. A butterfly landed on a blue flower sitting in front of him. "I wish I was you." He admitted to the innocent insect, envying the free and lighthearted life this tiny creature could live. Why couldn't he?

"I know, so does everyone else." Came a rather conceited voice. Startle the teen looked up to see Lunar standing there.

"What do you want?" Tala asked with a hint of intimidation. The way the man was hovering over the sitting teen made him want to stand up and go back into the mansion. How could he not have noticed the shadow bathing over him? Was he really that deep in thought? Doesn't matter, he still pulled off his calm front.

"I need your help." Lunar admitted without an ounce of shame, which left Tala with an uneasy feeling. Help? He saw the question marks in Tala's eyes. "I need you to convince Kai to come with me."

"No! Never!" This outburst gave the redhead a reason to stand up, but when he stood he came face to shirt with Lunar's upper chest. He was so close to him he felt his warm breath on his forehead. There was literally not gap between them. He had his face tilted up because if he were to look down his nose would be on the man's shirt. And the bench the younger Russian was sitting on prevented him from backing up.

"Listen, little one." Lunar started again, mockingly, making no move to get out of the other's bubble. "You will help me… because if you don't… I will have to remove you from the picture. You see, when you have money you can always get people to do your dirty work. Including… well, use you're your imagination." He chuckled sending terror ripping down Tala's body. The redhead swallowed, forgetting his hard front. Until that moment, only Boris had ever made him feel so frightened. "And if you don't deliver, I can still pay the judge off, so I'll have Kai anyway." He smirked.

"W-why can't you do that in the first place?" This fear was preventing the younger from breathing properly.

Kai's father then stepped away just a tiny bit and leaned down until his mouth was at Tala's ear. "Because… this is more fun." And with that he turned and began to leave. "Oh, and tell anyone… and you die." He laughed, imagining the redhead's face.

Panic and shock held Tala there for what seemed like the longest minutes of his life. He then fell to the ground with a blank expression painted on his face. _What do I do?_

"Tala." Fear scrabbled trough his body before he looked up to see Kai and then looked away. "Tala, I'm sorry. Please don't leave me!" the phoenix begged, getting on his knees to look Tala in the eyes. "Tala…"

"I'm not going to leave you. Don't ever think that." He said solemnly looking up at Kai.

"So, you're not mad?" Kai asked reaching up to touch the cut on Tala's face. Tala shook his head. A smile then played on Kai's face. "Then… let's go swimming… in the nude… at night!"

"Kai, I don't think--" his sentence was cut off by Kai snatching him up and dragging him to the side house garage. Tala was protesting the whole way, but after they started driving he calmed down. Oh, how the mode so drastically switches when you're with Kai. After a few minutes of driving with music playing, Kai decided there had been no conversation between the two for too long.

"So…" he turned the music down until it sounded like background music. "Mariah. Explanation." He kind of demanded.

Tala looked out the window, not really knowing how to start the conversation off. Concentrating on the yellow streaks in the road didn't seem to help, but it was slightly calming.

"You told me, incase you can't remember the different lies you told everybody," the redhead turned from the window to look at Kai's unreadable expression. He hated it when Kai did that, it usually meant, he was undecided about how he truly felt. "You told me that you were sick of her happy-go-lucky attitude and just found yourself falling out of "like" with her." It kinda scared Tala when Kai took his hands off the wheel to do the finger quotations.

_Please, not another bad car experience._ He mentally groaned.

"Then you continued with a paranoid story about how you think that Mariah has planted a homing-device in your skin so she can know where you are at all times and you thought that was creepy." Then Kai seemed to meditate on what he had just said. In doing so he looked to the upper left of the car, scaring the redhead further. "Actually, I believe you now about the last part, but the first part deserves question."

The other Russian only responded when Kai looked back to the road. "She freakin' does have a tracking device in me somewhere! When I asked her though, she laughed at me!" Tala exclaimed hysterically, absent-mindedly flipping through CDs. "I mean, she even found our secret place, now you know something's up. It's crazy!" Everything grew quiet after he finished.

"Did I ask you that?" Kai demanded, emotionless mask still in place, not taking his eyes off the road.

Tala sank in his seat, placing the CDs back in the door side pocket. "I broke up with her because…" he hesitated and took a deep breath. The redhead was really never good with words. "You and her never got along. I can't have a girlfriend who doesn't like my best friend. All three of our lives would be miserable. I couldn't do that to you two, so I had to cut Mariah lose." He shrugged and exhaled.

Kai nodded, eyes still reflecting apathy. They had been riding in an area abundant with lush trees and grass. A lake came into view as the Mustang pulled closer to an open area. Kai stopped with out a word. Then got out of the car in a way that told Tala he didn't buy the story. He seemed to be making extra dramatic movements, especially the flippy thing he did with his hair. The way he walked to the lake reminded Tala of a hot chick about to take a swim… which scared the redhead immensely.

Remembering the subject on the table, he shook off the previous thoughts. "Kai…" Tala started, getting out of the car. Kai responded by throwing off his shirt and pants, then jumping into the lake before them, silently telling Tala he didn't want anymore of his crappy stories.

Kai swam and floated for a while, continuing to not acknowledge Tala's existence. The redhead just watched as Kai went under the water and didn't come up for a good forty seconds. When finally did Tala let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Ew…" he looked at Kai questioningly. "I think I just swallowed a minnow or something." He made a gagging sound. The blue-eyed Russian hoped Kai had just decided to dismiss the other subject, but he knew it would only be brought up again later.

"Come swim with me!" Kai yelled, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened before. It was then that Tala realized the sun was almost down. The sky was a serene darkish blue color.

"No thanks! It's getting dark and I don't feel like picking the little fish and parasites off my dick tonight." He chuckled.

"It's that, or tell me about Mariah!" Kai compromised.

Tala sighed. "That's not fair!" He took off his shirt and pants and reluctantly joined Kai in the lake. "I-it's c-cold." He shivered as the same wind that comforted him earlier decided to pay another visit.

"It's warm where I am?" A silence full of meaningful looks swam between the two. A childish smile played on Kai's face.

"Ew Kai, seriously." The other teen swooped water up so it slapped the two-tone haired Russian in the face.

"You are about to pay for that." Kai came up and tackled Tala into the water, started an underwater wrestling tournament. The two played like 5-years-old visiting the beach for the first time. Giving each other wet undie-wedgies and squishy nuggies is very enjoyable.

"I don't know whether to be totally turned on or put this on my list of situations leading to the conclusion that Tala and Kai are undeniably gay." An unknown figure whispered to another.

Neither of the energetic boys detected the person leaning on their black Mustang or the other person creeping into the driver's seat and slithering out of sight. The teen Russians were so into their game that they didn't even notice the other stranger disappearing into the trees, or that it was now nighttime.

By now they had exhausted all of their energy. This was exactly what the "unknown figures" needed. "O.k. Kai." Tala breathed out. "I think it's time to go home. I'm tired."

"Yeah, I won, let's go." Kai said a little ways behind Tala. They dragged out of the lake, feeling their bodies already working against them.

"You did not!" The redhead proclaimed half-way to the car. "I so had you!"

"No! It is I that had you." The phoenix protested playfully. "You're forgetting your clothes Mr. Champion."

Tala chuckled while getting into the car. "Bring them for me!" It felt very uncomfortable to sit on Kai's cushion seats with thin, wet boxers on. The slamming of Tala's door was one of six more sounds describing the next scene. Door slam, doors lock, engine rev, Tala's "oh hell no", car skidding into a very sharp u-turn and Mariah's evil, amused laughter.

"What the hell!" Kai yelled not even attempting to follow the accelerating vehicle. "How…" Before he could ask himself, he remembered leaving the keys in the car. "Damn!"

"Someone needs to wash your mouth out with soap!" Kai looked in the direction of the voice. Arura was standing about ten meters away beside Mariah's hot pink Mustang. Kai just stood there wondering how in the world he and Tala didn't notice the pink dot blaring Bowwow and Omarion's, _Hey Baby,_ cruising up into their spot. "Are you just going to stand there, or are we going to rescue your comrade from the evil clutches of Lady Kitten of the Pink Fury?!"

Disregarding the dialogue, Kai answered, "Um… yeah, whatever." Ever so confused as to what was going on, he jogged to the car.

**With Tala**

"Mariah, you're crazy! Where are you taking me?" Tala demanded feeling something crawling in his boxers, which were still pasted to his skin. "I'm wet and half naked!"

Mariah took full inventory of Tala's attire for tonight. "My sexy little hostage, that is puuur-fect for where we're heading." She smirked and licked her lips.

_Why did she pur?_ He squinted one eye in confusion. _Hostage?!_ Realizing what she called him his face displayed great alarm. _Sexy?_ A smirk. Then more confusion…

Mariah was just wondering why Tala was going through the emotional exercise. _Confusion, exited alarm, smugness and more repeat. What? Is he reliving the first time we almost had sex? _

* * *

So, how was it? I had to get the story back in happy mode. I'm not very good at transitions though. Please I need your input. Yes, Tala and Kai are ooc. AND THEY'RE STAYING THAT WAY!

Please review!


	9. The Pursuit

Thanks to : **Bluestray**, **rebelmewpheonix**, **UnpReDiCtabLE lIfE**, .**Gabby-chan182, Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover** for reviewing! Yay! I love you guys/girls! Thanks for the review, you have no clue how happy they make me.

I feel really depressed. This seems to be the only fic that is coming out right. I tell myself, I won't look at the stat (the part that tells you how many reviews you have and how many people put you on their favs.…) thingy anymore, but I do and it makes me feel worst. My other stories are on hold.

* * *

"Where are we going? What are we doing?" Tala asked, turning on the heater in attempt to warm his shivering, wet body up. He wiped a lock of dripping hair away from his eyes looking ahead at the winding, dark road. It was now night and he could feel his body slowing down, but the adrenaline he was feeling pumped him up a little. He stared curiously out of the window at the shadowy, green blurs that were trees. It seemed they were riding down a dark, deserted road.

"You'll see when we get there." Mariah informed, the smirk still in play on her lips. "It might take us a while to get there. 'Bout twenty minutes, plus the stop on the way."

"Stop?" Tala asked. _Wait? What's this? What is this annoying tingle?_ _Could it be?_ Yes, Tala had an itch, but not just any itch, The itch. The Unscrachble Itch! It started out somewhat tolerable, but when he tried to scratch it on the sly, it only made things worse!_ Dang it! No pants, I can't do the dig–in-your-pocket-and-scratch-on-the-sly trick! _He moved uncomfortably.

"Yes, we will make a short stop so that I may change into the _proper_ clothes for this engagement." The redhead took inventory of her attire at the moment. Tight, black leather pants with pink flames at the bottom and the jacket to match. The jacket had only one button buttoned up in the middle, exposing a little cleavage and a fair amount of her midriff that Tala could only see if he was standing in front of her. Before his imagination could ride him all the way across the Atlantic Ocean he was interrupted by _The Itch_.

He shifted yet again. After failed attempts at scratching, either, so sly Mariah couldn't notice or so well disguised she couldn't tell, Tala finally whined, "When will we be there?"

"About another ten minutes, I gotta get far enough ahead." She sped up. "Can't let you be rescued this early in the game." She smirked.

_Ten more minutes of suffering!_ He groaned.

**With Kai and the Girls**

Unaware of it at the moment, Kai had jumped into a car full of energetic, adolescent females. Looking in the mirror he could see bobbing heads of blue, red and brown hair. They were currently on a very interesting subject while Arura was in high pursuit of Mariah. Her high beams on the, otherwise pitch-black road.

"Come on, Kai, tell us!" Hilary pressured him from behind.

"Yeah!" Salima agreed, being equally annoying to the poor two-toned haired boy as to the girl in the driver's seat. Arura didn't know why Mariah would want to hang out with _those_ two girls, Mariam was okay. For some reason, every time the other two opened their nice, little, glossy mouths it made Arura just want to tear their lips off, sew them back on and burn the sore spot with a cigarette.

"Aaaaarrrrrrre yoooooouuuuuu?!" Salima sang into Kai's ear.

"And Tala." Hilary eagerly added. Mariam sat quietly enjoying the conversation.

They had been asking Kai this for some time. After countless… hints that he didn't care for the subject, he finally answered. With a roll of the eyes he replied, "Well, it's hard to say, I mean, the guys… some are really good and some… make me wonder why I waist my time getting all dressed up to see them." He admitted.

"So you are!" Hilary pressed seemingly about two jump over the seat. Kai and Arura both couldn't see why this conversation was so important, but then again, both females had had a little alcohol before this engagement.

"And Tala?" The redhead squeezed up beside Hilary.

"If ya'll two don't sit back I swear!" Arura bellowed after adjusting to get out of their way. She said a few words under her breath.

Kai snorted. "Oh, Tala is all for them! He is, more than me! He has some of our favorite guys pictures all over our room!" he rolled his eyes. "I like them, but not that much!"

"No wonder he and Mariah broke up." Mariam finally cut in. She chuckled.

"Yeah, she hates Lakers! Seeing as he's a huge fan, it was never meant to be." The redhead female finished for Mariam, shaking her head.

"Why doesn't she like the guys again?" Hilary asked.

"Idk," Salima responded in computer lingo. Both girls eyes lit up as they finished with,

"My bff Jill!" (A/N: You won't get that unless you've seen the commercial.)

Arura could have driven the car into a tree at that moment. _They better be glad Mariah challenged me to find her under a time limit. The hour is approaching, not enough time to tie these bimbos up, tape their mouths and hire someone to take them to a desolated area with no cell phone signal._ She smirked. _They'll probably die of not texting or no hair supplies before they die of hunger._ Kai thought she looked rather sexy with the slightly maniacal smirk on her face. He too was ready to throw the girls out of the window while going 160 miles per hour. A maniacal match made in… somewhere…

**With Tala and Mariah**

"No peeking!" Mariah said, smirking at the redhead, but also making it look threatening. Tala just nodded, anticipating her exit from the car so he could finally scratch! The sound of the Mustang door shutting was the best sound he had heard in a long time. _Right after Mariah's voice… _He thought, but quickly shook it away. _Where did that come from?_ He questioned while relieving himself. A sigh of alleviation escaped his lips as he had done what he wanted to do for the past twenty minutes. _I didn't even know an itch could last that long._

He sighed. Now the wait. Mariah didn't usual take that long dressing, but seeing as she wouldn't want to be seen, she was probably being careful. Tala was always a person with good self-control so it wasn't an arduous task for him to sit there not peeking. 3 minutes… 5 minutes… 10 minutes… Finally Tala heard the car door open. The first thing he saw was short, tight leather stretched over Mariah's crotch. He could have sworn he was gaping for an hour, when really he had turned his head almost the moment he saw it. Some mental pictures a guy will never forget.

Before he knew what was happening the pinkette was back beside him and the car was once again racing to where ever they were going. It took Tala a second to realize that Mariah was talking to him.

"Huh?" a dazed look was spread across his face.

"I said," Mariah started again, kind of irritated that he wasn't listening. "Did you peek?" she sounded like she had asked him already.

It took him a few seconds to get over the clothes she was now wearing. There was no way to describe the outfit, all he knew was that it consisted of a few chains and strips of the same fabric. I looked like someone had taken scissors to it.

"No." he finally answered, after composing himself.

"No?" Mariah asked, her tone sounded as if Tala had insulted her.

"No." he answered again. The silence that landed between them confused the redhead. Wasn't him being a good boy a good thing?

"The sad part is, I think you're actually telling the truth." She snorted.

"W-what? Did you want me to look or something?!"

"That would be the normal guy thing to do!" she shouted at him, turning away from the road. "You never paid me any attention anyway." A 'humph' followed.

"If you're thinking I'm gay then you can just get rid of that thought." He folded his arms and cast his gaze out the window.

The female snorted even louder. "What? Was that some sort of confession?" Tala couldn't believe this, he tries to be the good guy and do the right thing, but it's always wrong! He just can't win. Well, maybe he can. He decided to stop talking. It takes two hands to clap, if one hand stops, no more noise. Great philosophy. Tala felt very proud to have thought of it!… Too bad Mariah wasn't big on ancient proverb stuff.

"Oh, and now you're giving **me** the cold shoulder. You are unbelievable Tala Ivanov, I swear!" and so the one-person conversation continued. The ten minutes of the helpless redhead getting shouted seemed to go by pretty quickly. They soon pulled up to a big place with flashing pink lights.

Up at the top Tala could read the highlighted words. They had the flashing image of a kitten with horns sitting on top of them. "Devil's Kitten." He said blankly.

"Yep! My favorite strip club!" Mariah grinned. "Now the fun really kicks off!"

* * *

That's it for now. The next update should be coming pretty soon. Please review. Suggestions are welcome… nothing mean though…


	10. Night At Devil's Kitten

Thanks to: **rebelmewpheonix**,**Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover**, **Bluestray** and **StZen** for reviewing! I had fun writing this chapter and am very happy with the turn out, I hope you guys will like it.

* * *

When they walked in, it was nothing like how Tala had imagined it. Strip club? It looked more like an expensive restaurant with waiters that wore ass-less pants. The lights were down low and there was soft music playing in the background. It made Tala feel like he should have had on a suit instead of wet boxers. Oh snap! The redhead had forgot he was in his underwear. _I knew I felt a breeze._ He blushed. This was bound to be a very interesting evening.

At the moment Mariah was dragging him to the reservation desk. A young woman was standing there fully clothed in a beautiful, white evening gown. Tala had met her a couple times before and her seeing him like this was not the best impression. "Hey Mommy!" Mariah greeted the lady.

"Hey… Mrs. Azule." The redhead's checks went the color of his hair as he quickly got acquainted with the pearl floor.

"Hello, Mariah," she looked skeptically at the blue eyed Russian and his "attire". "Tala. I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon." She smiled genuinely. "Take a seat over there." She pointed to table that was practically in the center of the gigantic room.

"Um… Mariah, I don't think I'm properly dressed for this occasion." Tala whispered to her after they were seated.

Mariah suddenly glared at him. "You're still a hostage. You have no rights. I am your master, refuse me and you will pay dearly." She threatened, face extremely intense. "Now," she smiled abruptly. "What would you like for dinner?"

_Oh great, I'm dressed in my underwear in a sophisticated "strip club" with a bi-polar eligible Hooters candidate…_ He blushed realizing what he had just thought. _That last thought has absolute nothing to do with her extremely large boobs… which I am NOT staring a right now._

"Tala, are you starring at my boobs?" she raised a pink eyebrow at Tala obvious "peek".

"No." he lied blatantly. _I do NOT feel like an idiot right now._ He thought sarcastically.

"Yeah, right." The pinkette merely brushed it off. "I suppose I did over do it." She admitted, looking down at her tight, half unzipped leather jacket. She appeared to be thoughtful at the moment. "I'll be right back." She then got up and began to walk out of the room.

_I will not stare at Mariah's ass as she walks out. I will not stare at Mariah's ass as she walks out. I will not stare at Mariah's ass as she walks out! _He chanted hysterically to himself… while staring at Mariah's ass as she walked out. After Mariah, and her boody (A/N: I like it with a 'd'.) was out of Tala's view, he then started to feel more than very uncomfortable. All the customers were walking around in fancy gowns and suits, and what was he wearing? Boxers. The hairs on his arms were raised. A shiver went up his spine as he realized it was slightly cold.

"Hi!" came a perky voice. Before he knew it and blond was standing in front of him, wearing the uniform: A cleavage exposing, black and pink girls tux top, with tight black shorts that could have probably went for thongs. "Haven't I seen you from somewhere?" She leaned on the table giving Tala a full view of her twins. He tried to look away, but his neck was not listening to its commands. _Why is my body defying me tonight?_

_I see why this place is called "Devil's Kitten", it full of innocent looking temptations. Damn my hormones!_ _Why'd I have to be wearing boxers?! More than likely my "soldier" is going to be standing at attention all. Night. Long. _As he thought each other the last words different body parts of people in the building kept catching his eye.

"No. I don't think so." Tala finally answered, realizing that she had asked him a question.

"Oh, well, my friend thinks you're cute." She said somewhat seductively, even though she was supposedly there for here friend. "Now where did they go?" she asked herself looking around innocently, but something about her manor was somewhat alluring rather than innocent. "Oh!" Tala's head automatically snapped in the direction she was looking. "There he is!"

She then started to describe him, but Tala went deaf at the word "he". Somehow he found himself staring at a well toned, male stripper wearing what looked like swim shorts. On the bright side, someone had on fewer clothes than he did…

"Um. I'm here with someone." He said quickly cutting the blond off.

"Everyone is… at first, but they always leave with someone else." She smiled and wrote a number in Tala's hand. "He says, call him."

Tala sighed. _I wonder how Kai is doing… _

**With Kai**

Hilary and Salima were not done with their 101 questions of doom and Kai was really getting annoyed with them. However, Arura found some of these questions to be quite enjoyable.

"So, when did you come out of the closet?" Hilary asked totally expectantly… to everyone, but Kai.

"What!? I'm not gay!" he immediately corrected. "Where did you get that?" He glared at her in the rearview mirror. Arura had to stifle and snicker. She actually was trying to get up a way to ask if he and Tala were an item. It's not everyday that you see guys _playing_ in the lake in their _boxers_.

"Well, it's just your whole manner." The brunette defended her accusation. She saw Kai raise a challenging eyebrow. "The way you cross your legs when you sit."

"And when you make that 'humph' sound. You remind me of a snobby bitch." Salima added. Getting agreeing nods from Hilary and Mariam.

"And the way you pick on all the guys. Like Tyson, you're constantly putting him down. That's what guys do when they have a crush on you." Hilary smirked, happy with he evidence.

Kai coughed in that "as if" way. "Even if I were gay, Tyson would be the last guy I'd be looking at!" he arrogantly added a 'humph' after his statement.

"Then who'd be the first?" Arura snapped the question out faster than Kai could realize he did the 'humph' thing again.

"I don't know! I don't judge guys!" the two-toned haired boy looked out the window. _This is just great! The girl I have a crush on thinks I'm gay! _

All the girls seemed to be thinking the same thing and waiting for the other to say it. Hilary, being the one with the most mouth, stood up to the challenge. "You know, you and Tala seemed to be having a lot of fun it that lake earlier." This was the least surprising comment. Kai and Tala have been accused of being in a relationship ever since the met, really. Boris always said they played girly games (he had no idea what games they _really_ played) and seemed to like to be around each other more than little boys should.

Kai always replied, _It's not our fault we're not discussing, purple haired pedophiles that no one likes to be around._ He smirked at the memory of Boris being told that by a six year old. But the females took this smirk as a positive reply to Hilary's comment.

"So you and Tala are together!" Arura exclaimed. Suddenly the car was in a commotion.

"No! No! He's my best friend!" Kai tried to regain what little control he had, but the damage was done. All he could do was sigh and slouch more into his seat while asking the question 'are we there yet?' every five minutes. _Wonder what Tala's doing with Mariah? He better be makin' some moves!_

"So Kai, how much do you think you'd be if I sold you on Ebay?" Salima asked randomly.

_Get me outta here! _Kai yelled in his head to anyone listening.

**With Tala**

Mariah had come back in a lovely back-out sparkling baby blue evening gown. (A/N: Pink is my favorite color, but it's so cliché' on Mariah. I like her in blue better.) It hugged all her curves perfectly giving Tala ideas, but keeping them cleaner than the ones before. She had ordered them a fine dinner complete with mash potatoes, chicken and string beans.

Tala didn't know what he was drinking but he was beginning to feel a little tipsy. Like every five minutes he would accidentally look at some girl's butt or boobs and then announce that he wasn't staring at them, drowning himself in embarrassment. He was very good at that.

"Do you like the food?" the pinkette across from him asked with some emotion in her eyes that the redhead couldn't pinpoint at the moment. Bashfulness? No. Charm? Close. Maybe sincerity with a little of the other two. Yeah.

"It delicious." He complimented.

"Yeah, we got the _real_ fried chicken unlike most of these _other_ restaurants and strip club with that dry meat and all!" she smiled. Tala smiled. They smiled. Awkward silence… The floor was always Tala's best friend. He becomes friends with all of them in all places.

"Oo… Mariah! He's cute!" a young female waitress complimented from nearby. "Get it girl!" she winked. The pinkette blushed.

"I take it, you come here a lot." Tala inferred, hoping to start up another conversation. It usually wasn't that hard with Mariah.

The pinkette hesitated for a second. "Yeah, my mom owns the place- Why did you dump me?" she had barely finished the first sentence when she started the question. Apparently she's been trying to get it out for a while.

Tala was slightly taken aback by her abruptness, but after registering the words he sighed. _Maybe I should have told Kai earlier. Then he could have laughed and rated the level of gay-ness my excuse is._ He cleared his throat, decisively not looking into Mariah's golden eyes. He didn't realize that when he was concentrating on what to say he was staring at some male strippers bare butt. He had on an apron… that's it. Mariah followed his gaze.

"Um." He snapped out of his thoughts. "I was definitely NOT staring at his butt!-Well I kinda was but I didn't mean to- I'd just like you to know that I don't go that way- and even if I was staring at his butt I most certainly was not so focused on it that I noticed the mole on his upper right cheek." Mariah could have fell out laughing at that moment. "You are much more interesting than the mole on his right butt cheek." _Why the heck did I say that? What am I thinking?! Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. _"Man, this wine must have a very high percentage of alcohol!" he exclaimed.

Mariah smiled, amused at his awkward and obvious embarrassment. She thought it was cute, but she decided not tell him that what was in his glass was not alcoholic at all, but some sort of cherry drink her mom made for her and the rest of her underage guests. She just smiled at him.

"Um…" Tala racked his brain for a more comfortable subject. "The question… that you asked. Back to that." He took a breath. The pause seemed to last over two whole minutes. (That's a long time in pausing time.) "Well-"

"Lady Kitten of the Pink Fury we have you cornered!" Arura yelled over the noise heroically, dressed in tight blue pants and a black, risqué', button down, vest looking shirt.

"Angelic Vixen? How did you find me?!" Mariah yelled back theatrically, grabbing Tala up from his seat after ripping off her dress that must have cost over a hundred dollars. Underneath she had on baby blue pants and a black 'Dance or Die' t-shirt. Tala wondered why he didn't notice it before.

_Here we go again!_ The redhead thought.

"How did I _find _you? You come to the same place every time we play High Pursuit." She rolled her eyes, losing the overdramatic voice for a second. "Now, unhand him!" Arura shouted.

"Never." Mariah hissed. "Until you tell me where you got that shirt." She said with stunned look on her face.

"Oh." Arura giggled, "JC Penny's was having a sell. You like?"

"I love!"

"Thanks."

"Did anyone notice that it strangely got quieter in here?" Kai asked noting the sudden drop of noise level.

"Kai!" Tala suddenly shouted.

"Tala!" then they started running to each other in slow motion with their arms out for a hug. Just as they were about to hug, Kai froze. "Wait." He pushed Tala off a little. "We can't do that right not, we're in public. We're in boxers." He whispered.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy…" Salima sang. Making a whole bunch of guys look Tala and Kai's way.

"Hey, aren't those the two guys that stole our clothes so we had to drive home naked that one time?!" a random stripper called out.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea to play "Steal Stripper Clothes and Don't Get in Trouble Because My Grandfather is Freakin' Rich"." Tala hated how Kai always talked him into doing dumb stunts with stupid and usually long titles.

"What? They're strippers! They shouldn't mind walking home naked! It's called good advertisement!" Kai defended folding his arms.

"Mariah." The redhead looked over to see his ex having a nice conversation about the hottest super villain outfit with Arura, completely not paying attention to the strippers who were about to kill them.

"Get 'em." The stripper with a mole on his upper right butt cheek hissed. Tala and Kai have learned over the past years that whenever those word were heard in that order, it usually translate to 'run' for them.

"I can't believe I'm about to get chased by naked guys in aprons." The two-toned haired teen turned and immediately started running with Tala a couple paces in front of him, but he wouldn't be for long.

To bad they ran right into the stage to the front of the place and didn't know where to go after that. "Snap." Tala sighed, knowing it was no use. They were surrounded.

**5 minutes later**

"I just want you to know that this is all your fault." Tala blamed.

"But you're the idiot that always goes along with my stupid, half-baked, pointless schemes." Kai smiled his same toothy grin. "I guess you can compare it to sex, if you said 'no', then we wouldn't do it. Because you're the girl in the relationship."

"Kai, please, no more implications that we're gay. I'm tired." He sighed. "I can't wait to get back home and sleep in my bed! I haven't been there in so long." There was a long pause between the two boys on the pole.

"I feel pretty." Kai smiled.

"I feel violated!" The redhead yelled.

"I mean look on the bright side, we look hot, well at least I do, and we're the center of attention."

"Kai, we are tied to a strip pole wearing suffocating mini skirts, high heels and girly vest looking shirts with sparkles! And the only reason we're the center of attention is so everyone can laugh at us!" he looked out at about two hundred people eating dinner and gawking at them. They were tied back to back (kinda) to a black pole with pink kitten faces on it. Mariah and her friends were the closest. "Guys keep purposely walking by trying to look up my skirt and it feels like my butt is eating this glow-in-the-dark g-string." He continued to complain.

Kai 'humph'ed for what he felt was the hundredth time that night. You only notice things when people point them out to you. "Don't be so cocky! They were so trying to look up _my_ skirt!"

"What?!" Tala couldn't believe how conceited his best friend could be sometimes. "Hey Mariah, when will you get us down?" he asked with pleading eyes.

"When I get tired of laughing at you two." She cheesed at the scene. Tala sighed again and attempted to cross his legs as another guy came by and smiled seductively at him. He groaned.

"Maybe I could be a stripper." Kai piped. "It makes me feel sexy!" Tala hung his head.

* * *

That was long! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Please, please, please review!


	11. Am I My Best Friend's Keeper?

Thanks to: **rebelmewpheonix**,**Black Wolf Jaganshi Lover**, **Bluestray, **.**Gabby-chan182**, **StZen** and **Naenna** for reviewing! Yay! Six reviews! Woo hoo! For some reason I feel a wave of happiness washing over me! That's good for ya'll because the happier I am the faster I update. Hehe…

Voltaire also has a few scenes in this chapter. Is he a bad guy… or not? Hm…

* * *

The strip club was pretty much clear now and Tala's hopes of getting to his bed were rising. They were still tied to the pole, but have now slid down to the stage floor in a very uncomfortable sitting position. Kai had been quiet for quite a while now, the redhead guessed he was ready to get home as well. Or he could just be crashing from the alcoholic beverage, most likely Vodka, he had that night. Tala knew there was no way his best friend would ever be that calm when someone had stuck bows and pins in his hair. Kai don't play 'bout his hair!

"Ok Mariah." Tala gave her an exhausted smile. "You can untie us now." A tiredness hung over the club as everyone dragged their bodies around. The custodians were the only ones who moved with an ounce of life, and that was only because they were ready to get out of there. The pinkette sighed and began to walk to the stage, feeling tired herself.

"No!" Kai shouted abruptly. Tala could tell he was smirking by the amount of time he took before saying, "Not until you explain to her why you broke it off."

The other Russian gave an agitated sigh. "Kai, I am beat! This can wait! I'm really sick of your antics for one night!" Mariah cast her gaze to the ground as if to contemplate it, but he her expression displayed indifference. Tala was surprised! For once Mariah didn't want to do something insane that would undoubtedly make this never ending night longer. Silently, she untied them.

The guys felt as if a weight was lifted off them. They moved their tight arms to try and get the blood circulating normally again. They also kicked off those heels that were strapped so tightly to their feet it left red marks. "Let's go home." The redhead hooked his arm around his best friend's, worn with fatigue. He sighed. Kai didn't argue, letting Tala lead the way out.

Hilary, Salima and Mariam had gotten a ride with a friend of theirs who works in the kitchen. Arura was staying over Mariah place, she said earlier. This is what got Kai so quiet. The first time he had seen Arura, she was staying over the preps house and now she's sleeping over at Mariah's, doesn't she ever go home?

The teens slowly lumbered to their cars in the blackness of the night. The parking lot that was once packed, only occupied a few automobiles now. Tala was seated in Kai's mustang and almost fell asleep instantly in the comfort of his own space. He was almost to dreamland when he noticed Kai hadn't gotten in yet. He was standing by the half open driver's door.

"Kai, get your ass in the car! I am tired!" the Russians tended to be a little cranky when they missed their beauty sleep.

"Shut it, Tala! You're always f-ckin' complaining! Just **shut up** for once!" his best friend, also being teased by sleep yelled back. Tala just let his head fall back on the seat, knowing it was no use. Kai walked up to Mariah when she had gotten close to their cars.

She stayed silent. "I don't understand, he would have told you." Kai started. The pinkette still stayed quiet. "Why didn't you want him to tell you?"

Silence still… It took a second for her to realize what Kai was talking about… and to notice that she wasn't walking anymore. Sleep had wrapped Mariah tightly in its grip and was pulling her down. "Kai, it's none of your business." She said solemnly and started to walk away.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you!" the Russian shouted, feeling unappreciated.

"I didn't ask for your help." She spoke softly, still walking away.

"You still like him don't you?!" he demanded. No answer came back. The girl merely got into her car and started the engine.

Kai walked back to his mustang with numerous questions on his mind. _Why doesn't Arura ever go home? If Mariah doesn't care to know why Tala broke up with her, why should I? Does she even still like him?_ _I am not getting any sleep tonight._

The ride was silent seeing as the only other person in the car was knocked out sleep. Kai smiled at the sight of his friend curled up in the back seat of the Mustang under a blanket they had left in the car for such trips like these. He had taken off all of his clothes… well the strippers' suffocating clothes. In his mirror he could see the beautiful face of his best friend. Tala always looked so peaceful and innocent when he was sleeping. His red bangs lightly brushing his face. He had this whole angelic aura about him. _How can anyone not love him…_ the smile stayed in place. But this thought brought Kai back to what happened an hour ago.

_Why didn't Mariah want to know? Doesn't she care?_ He pondered, pulling up in the side driveway of the mansion. Kai didn't want to wake his friend so he carried him inside to their room. The phoenix felt some sort of peace come over him as he walked into the silence of his home. His room was clean, as he left it. The only things that were different were his bed sheets, Dimes puts new ones on every evening. It appeared the rest of their night would go smoothly.

The blue-eyed Russian stirred a bit as Kai put him on some dry, clean boxers and tucked him in. He also put on his boxers. After closing his closet door, (A/N: I hate sleeping with my closet door open.) he turned off the lights and got into bed. _I wonder if Arura's asleep right now? If she hates preps so much, why was she even over their house in the first place?_ He stared up at the darkness of his room. _I wonder where my parents went. Hopefully they took the hint and a hike. What ever happen to those brats? Did they just disappear and how did they get in here?_ Questions just swarmed Kai's head. This is why he hated thinking, his mind just loved to take it to the next level.

Looking over at the digital clock that read: 6:46 a.m., he sighed deeply. After a few more minutes of wondering about things that he wouldn't find out until tomorrow or never, he decided go for a midnight snack. Carefully, he removed Tala's arm from his waist and slid out of bed. The mansion was so silent when he and Tala weren't running around on their secret adventures, or when he wasn't yelling at his incompetent parents.

The firm stairs were cold to his bare feet as he slowly strode down them. He knew the mansion as well as Tala knew the back of his head, so it didn't matter if he was blinded by darkness. His home was usually submersed in it at night. He was making the turn to head to the kitchen, when he heard something move. He immediately froze. Just because he knew the mansion well doesn't mean it doesn't give him the creeps at times. He tried to shake it off and say to himself that it was nothing, but then he heard,

"Kai." Swiftly, he turned to the direction of the voice before his brain could register it.

He took a breath of relief. "Grandfather, you scared me." Now that he concentrated on one spot he could see the silhouette of the elder Hiwatari.

"Where is Tala? Why isn't he with you?" The grey (gray) haired man snapped out, there was an underlying panic in the way he said it.

Kai picked up on that. "Um… he's sleeping. I couldn't sleep." There was a pause. Thinking the conversation was over he continued to walk towards the kitchen.

"The court date is in a week. I want this done as soon as possible." The phoenix wanted to leave with that, but he couldn't. He didn't understand why he had to live with one of his parents when he was perfectly content right where he was. The only person he hadn't talked to about it was the one calling most of the shots.

"Why are you giving me away?" the younger Hiwatari didn't expect to feel so much emotion from that one sentence. He felt unwanted and heartbroken in a painful mix. Voltaire was as silent as the shadows, but Kai wasn't walking away this time and the eldest could see that. He cleared his throat. Kai bit his lip. "I don't want to go with either of them." Still no answer, what was with people giving him the cold shoulder tonight? A deep frown played across his usually bright face. "Answer me!" Kai finally gave a pain filled cry, echoing through the halls and corridors of the mansion. Soft sobs were heard in the darkness.

"Go back to Tala." The man finally spoke.

"I get all A's every school year, if you want I'll try for A pluses." He tried to compromise. When he got no answer he added, "I'll even go after the family business just like you. Isn't that why you even wanted a grandson?" His plea was responded to with silence. The need to please his grandfather was always there, even though he didn't show it at times, he cared what the man thought. "I'll stop going on wild adventures and planning crazy schemes if that's what you're mad at. Was it the peanut butter in your suit pants, is that what did it? I'll buy knew ones, just like them." His voice was getting weaker.

"Go back to bed, Kai." Voltaire responded as if the conversation had ended when he said the court date.

There was a strain on Kai's heart. He needed Voltaire's approval. He needed his acknowledgement. His praise. He didn't know why, but that's how he felt. "I'm not gay." Was his last meek hope, it was the last thing he could possible correct to make himself "perfect". "I love Tala and I'll never be without him, but I'm not gay. He's my best friend-"

"Then go back up stairs to your best friend!" the older male cut Kai off making his gasp. Dejected and broken Kai trudged back up the stairs, forgetting his snack. Hopefully he was able to get to sleep anyway. But Kai wasn't the only Hiwatari with deep thoughts on his mind. Why else would a busy man like Voltaire be awake in his dark living room just sitting there.

Kai slid back beside Tala without stirring the redhead once. The blue-eyed Russian could be such a hard sleeper at times. He looked at the clock again, it read: 7:02 a.m. This would be the time some people would be waking up. Feeling Kai back beside him, Tala snuggled closer to him. Kai wrapped his arms around Tala and tried to block every stressful thing out of his mind. Then he slowly drifted to sleep…

**Three Hours Later**

Blue eyes opened to another bright day in Russia. The surrounding was different than where he fell asleep at, but he'd rather be in his nice comfy bed in his cotton boxer than in the parking lot of a strip club in leather body-devouring clothes. Kai was fast asleep next to him, so he assumed his best friend didn't get to sleep as easily as he did. Normally Kai would be up before the redhead.

Yawning he slowly got out of bed and headed toward the shower, wondering what today's quest will be to. Many things crossed his mind, some making him mentally laugh and others making him roll his eyes in hopelessness. He was surprised when he got out of the shower and Kai was still wrapped in the covers sleeping. _Hm… I wonder what time he went to sleep. _

Seeing as there was nothing else to do up there, he decided to go make some breakfast. Feeling refreshed he wore a smile on the way down the stairs. Unbeknown to him Voltaire was still on the sofa he was on last night. Only this time, he was in light. His hair was a tangled mess, the bags under his eyes were more defined, and he was still in his robe. The redhead head stared curiously for a second, wondering if the man even noticed him.

"Where's Kai?" At that mention Tala's mind flashed back to his intimidating encounter with Kai's dad. Maybe he could tell Voltaire. He could do something, right? It's just the matter of if he cared.

"He's sleeping." The young Russian answered meekly.

"Don't you two sleep at the same time anymore?" he asked grumpily. Tala took it as a rhetorical question. Then he giggled a little because it would have sounded really weird if Voltaire replace 'at the same time' with 'with each other'. He didn't know why that thought came to mind, he was just feeling a bit hyper today. Voltaire gave him an apathetic glare, if there was such thing. The redhead all of the sudden wasn't so sure about telling the elder Hiwatari, he seemed cranky. "Come here, Tala." Tala obeyed and came over to where the man was. Voltaire gestured for Tala to sit on the other side of the sofa.

"Tala, you know that in two weeks Kai is going to have to make a decision to live with either of his parents." This was the perfect time for Tala to tell him. Right now, while the subject was on the table. The redhead nodded, but kept his mouth shut. He didn't know the information, but common sense told him it was true. "Tala, do you remember what I told you the day I brought you here, while we were eating?"

**Flashback **

**Tala's POV**

Butlers and maids were all over the room putting up fancy decorations (well, I thought they were pretty fancy.). There were a few chairs in the room for some of our "guesses" to sit and watch what was about to happen. May I add that I had no clue what was about to happen. Kai, this boy who I had just met, had called in butlers and maids and started shouting out orders. He said we were getting married. I didn't even know what getting married was, but it looked fun so far.

The place consisted of two colors blue and pink, but at that time I called pink, yellow. I like these colors. Kai seemed very excited and so was I… until he said that I had to wear a dress. I said no, but what am I doing right now? Standing here, facing a grinning Kai, in some poofy, "yellow" dress. "You have ta' smi-le." He seemed to separate the word. "And blush."

"Why do I have ta' blush?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side.

"Cuz, you're da blushing bribe." He sighed as if I were supposed to know that.

"Well, what do you have ta' do?" I folded my arms.

"I'm jus' da broom, so all I do is stand here an' repeat afta da mini-ster." The butler, Dimes, was standing to my left holding a book I soon learned was called Little Red Riding Hood and our audience was to my right. I think I really am blushing, I never liked being in front of people. "Hold my hands." He took my hands in his and looked up to Dimes, who towered over us.

"O.k. Dimes, say da… thingy." The boy in front of me ordered. I can't believe I've had it backwards all my life. I thought it was the adults that told kids what to do, not the other way around! My daddy better be glad I didn't know this or he would have been licking toilets clean for the rest of forever!

"We are-" Dimes didn't even get to start good when the grey haired man, known as Voltaire, walked in.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Granddaddy, sit down!" the boy holding my hands yelled excitedly. "Me and Tala are gettin' married!" his smiled widened.

The grey haired man sighed and rolled his eyes, later on I found out why that was his _only_ reaction. "We need to talk first." He said with seriousness.

"Granddaddy, you can't jus' bust up in me and Tala's joining in wholly mattress-mony and want to talk!" he yelled placing his hands on his hips. "Please take a seat and watch the sara-mony." He pointed to the nearest seat, which just happened to be unoccupied. Voltaire sighed and sat down. "O.k. Dimes." Kai smiled and took my hands once more.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to watch these two… friends becoming… best friends. If anyone does not agree, speak now or forever hold your piece." He paused. No one said anything, but Dimes didn't continue. "Um…" he was at a loss of words.

"Now you have ta ax who gives Tala away." Kai prompted.

"Who gives this… young man away?" he asked.

"O.k. Tala, in da movies they say that you should let da person closes' to you give you away and since Granddaddy is sittin' closer, he has ta say it." Kai stated proudly. Kai glared at his granddad when he still didn't say anything.

"I give him away." Voltaire said with all the apathy in the world.

_Hey, they can't do that! It's one thing for my own daddy to give me away, but when an old guy I don't even know does it, now I know there's something wrong with me! _I thought. Then without my consent a tear rolled down my cheek. _I miss Mommy._ Another rolled down.

Kai tilted his head with a frown painted on his face. "Whats-a-matter? You don't wanna marry me?" he sounded like he wanted to cry, too.

"It's not that." I sniffed. "I miss my mommy and no one loves me!" I tried to wipe away some tears with the back of my hand.

"It's o.k., I love you." He comforted, wiping my tears. I smiled. Then he smiled. It's so weird, now that I look back on it, the maids were getting all emotional over me and Kai's "wedding". Some were actually crying! "O.k., now say I can kiss the bribe." Kai looked up at Dimes.

Dimes threw an unsure look towards Voltaire. Voltaire looked indifferent. "Um… does the bride want to be kissed?"

"Jus say kiss da bribe!" Kai growled. I was still confused. Dimes looked back at Voltaire who just had a stern look on his face.

"You may… kiss the bride." Then Kai, this boy who I just met, pulled me closer to him and kissed me… on the lips. It was only a peck though. Then everybody started clapping and cheering. Kai let go one of my hands and led me out of the room for everyone to follow.

**End Flashback**

And that was me and Kai's first wedding. We had many more to come. He even divorced me once, long story, we'll save it for another flashback. Now why was I remembering that again?

"Tala." I heard the man's voice and suddenly remembered our conversation. He looked at me confused. "Why do you always do that? Is what I say so unimportant to you that you space out every time?" he demanded seemingly agitated.

"No…" I pouted so he wouldn't get that mad. "I do it to everybody. Sorry." I apologized.

"Well, I'll just refresh your memory on what I told you." He stated. "I said that since Kai liked you so much you would be his playmate…"

"Until he got sick of me." I finished. "Which he never did." He gave me another annoying look and I smiled toothily.

"Yes. I also told you to keep him out of trouble-"

"As much as one can keep Kai out of trouble." I cut him off again. He glared and I just kept smiling.

"Yes. I expected you to be the smart level-headed one, but at the same time show him a good time-"

"So far it's been the total opposite on that last part." He glared at me again. "O.k. no more interruptions." I agreed in my baby voice.

"Yes. I told you to take care of him, too and you have not shirked your duties so far, so I do not expect it to be any different when you leave my mansion." He finally finished.

"Kai's my best friend. I don't think of them as duties, it's just… surviving life with Kai." I chuckled again.

"Go up stairs and put on something decent. We will be having some guests over this morning for breakfast. You might want to wear your best clothes." I guess that was my command to go back up stairs, but I was hungry! Should I tell him about Kai's dad now? I think I should, but instead I retreat back upstairs. I was almost to my room when I heard, "And Tala." I looked back to see him getting up. "Don't worry about what my son said to you, he has no power." He knew? How did he know, does he have hidden cameras everywhere or something? So that's how he found out about me and Kai's secret obsession with bras...

**Flashback**

**End Flashback**

"NO MORE DAYDREAMING!" He cut off my flashback before it even started. "Now go along, our guests will be here shortly, I'm sure you and Kai both will enjoy this morning." He gave a weird smile. Who could he possibly bring over to make Kai and me that happy? Maybe he planned to do the opposite.

Two questions are now on my mind. One: Who are the guests? Two: Does he plan on getting cleaned up because he looks little a bad traffic accident!

* * *

That's it! I hope it wasn't a long chapter of boringness. I liked the ending. You'll just have to find out who the guests are next chapter. Lady J will be able to help me with that one. Please review!


	12. Leaving Home

Jashomara- (being chased by angry readers) I'm sorry it took me so long to update and I know most of you have forgotten the story and probably won't bother reading it anymore, but I will finish.

* * *

**Tala's POV**

I walked in our room and was surprised to see that Kai was awake! I closed the door slowly. I'm sure he heard me come in, but he did not stop staring at the wall before him. There was a cold look in his eyes that I wasn't use to seeing unless Boris was around. "Kai." I called, thinking he was maybe flashbacking, which I do on a daily basis. "Voltaire said we have some visitors coming and-"

"I don't care what Voltaire said!" he snapped at me. I shrank back, but he made no apologies. A silence hung over us as I cast my gaze to the ground. He stayed in his position, sitting on the bed with his hands closed in each other under his chin. "I heard him. And I don't care." I looked back up at him to see that there were traces of tears on his cheeks. "Those… "special guests" are psychologists, probably coming to determine what mental state I'm in… for the court case." He was quiet again.

"Oh…" was all I could manage to say. What now? They were coming whether Kai wanted them to or not. We couldn't just lock ourselves in the room like 4-year-olds.

"Shame that they're the only people who give the slightest care about what I think and want." He bit his lip as a thinking gesture.

"I want to know what you want." I said in a small voice.

He looked up at me and held me in his gaze. He stared at me for what seemed like an hour, but without him even saying anything I knew what he wanted and he knew that I knew. Before I knew it, we were sneaking down stairs with our most valued items in a bag. My heart was pounding so loud I thought Voltaire would here it and come to see what we were doing.

We snuck past the kitchen doors and were just about open the front door when we heard, "Where are you two going?" We turned around to see Dimes eyeing the bags we held in our hands. I stayed quiet, hoping Kai had some made-up story to tell.

"… I'm going to Lilac Lake." What?! Lilac Lake? It would be the perfect excuse if the person Kai was talking to were anyone but Dimes! Dimes is the only one who knows that Lilac Lake is not a lake. Not only is it not a lake, but it's not even a real place! It was just another figment of me and Kai's young imagination! Dimes studied the serious look on Kai's face. "The evil ninjas want me and I don't want to go." After my best friend said that, our babysitter gave him a look of understanding. Oh, I get it, Kai was telling him in code, so even if Voltaire does have hidden cameras he won't know what we were talking about. So he can't accuse Dimes of letting us walk. Nice move, Kai!

I smiled at my beloved babysitter. "KAI! TALA!" we hear Voltaire calling us from down the hallway. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Well, you better hurry Young Masters," he responded with a light smile. "The ninjas are coming." Kai and I smiled at his approval and ran to give him a hug.

"We'll miss you, Dimes!" both of us told him with passion in our words. We heard the knock again and knew that Voltaire was coming closer, but we had to say our goodbyes.

"What are you boys doing?" Oh no! Voltaire entered the front room and caught us! "Dimes why haven't you got the door yet!" he grumbled.

"Sorry Sir, the Young Masters needed to speak to me about their latest mission." That seemed to have gone through one ear and out the other as the old man walk to the doors and opened them.

A lady, Kai's mom, and his dad were standing there; waiting. How are we going to get out of this? "Mother! Father!" Kai ran to them before they even got in the door. "I wasn't expecting you!" Wow, Kai's a good actor. It even seems he has the lady fooled that he actually wants to see his parents. Now it's my turn to help.

"Kai!" I wined. "We need to go put these in the car! You're taking forever!" I gestured to the light weight bags in our hands. Everyone's attention was turned to the small, black bags.

"What's in them?" the psychologist lady asked leaning down as if it would make her get x-ray vision and she would suddenly be able to see through the black tear-resistant material.

"Old things that I need to give back to an old girlfriend." I lied with a little laugh to make it more believable. The elders in the room smiled, all but Dimes, who knew what we were really up to. I'm gonna miss him so much. I feel like there's a weight on my chest, standing here just lying to them like this. I wish there was another way…

"We'll be right back." Kai told them, and they nodded with no inkling that we had no intension of returning. I felt my throat swelling up. Why do I have to be so emotional!? Kai doesn't look to see the tears threatening to slip down my cheeks. Clenching my teeth, I get in the car after we made our way around to the side of the mansion. Kai hopped in the driver's seat and me in the passenger seat. And we were off…

This would be a whole new adventure for us. As we were driving away, I took one last look at the mansion where most of my greatest childhood memories took place. That was the place I lost my first tooth, the place I ate my first ice cream cone! I sniff looking out the window. I had been the way we're going many times, but it looked so different this time. Everything seemed so new, like I was stepping into a whole new world. But then my mind went back to the mansion, where Mariah and I shared our first kiss. My first kiss…

**Flashback**

"Tala, I'm about to take a bath wanna join?" Kai looked back at me with a smile. He slung his fuzzy duck towel over his shoulder.

"You go ahead, I'll join when this _LifeTime_ movie goes off." Only real men watch _LifeTime_! At least that's what I tell myself.

"Tala, you're such a girly guy." My best friend joked and walked into the bathroom. A smile stayed painted on my face as I turned back to my emotion-evoking movie. Kai was in the bathroom for about 10 minutes when someone came busting into the room.

"What the-!" I grabbed a pillow to cover my lower half. I'm wearing boxers, but still they are underwear you know!

"What's up!" came the upbeat voice of none other than Bryan.

"What are you doing in here?" I demanded strongly, slyly turning the channel to ESPN before he came to see what I was watching.

"Tala, we're guys." It took me a second to realize why he said that. Then I looked down on the pillow I was still holding to my lower half.

"I don't care! Get out!" I commanded. Why do the guards let them just pass at the gate? Oh yeah, because most of the time they're not doing their job.

"Oh yeah, I take it Kai's in the shower, but let me inform you that our beloved Ray was found this morning…" he had to stop to laugh. I stared at him like he was an idiot. Then I began to glare because he was making me miss what happened to Kyle and his girlfriend! "In a pool of drool on his kitchen floor naked in leather restraints and dog collar, gagged with a chew toy!" I could feel the shocked look covering my face. It was soon replaced with an extremely amused on. Our laughter could have been heard to the other side of the mansion. We told him to quit picking up those crazy chicks but him being the sex-crazed guy that he is, doesn't listen. "No… shut up…" Bryan gasped for air, trying to get something out. "It looked like the girl took his money… and everything in his refrigerator!"

My stomach! My stomach! Ray is an idiot. "I'll be waiting down stairs, Ray's there too. We got blackmail pictures!" and with that he left.

Five minutes later, I was still laughing. But my smile quickly went away as I looked in the mirror and ran across something pink. Directly behind me, Mariah was sitting on the windowsill with a displeased expression. "You find the fact that some psycho chick attacked my cousin and left with all his valuable things funny?" My face went cold as she advanced towards me. I braced myself for the pain that was about to be inflicted on me. Now I know I'm not going to get to see the rest of the movie. Then, Kai walks out the bathroom naked. Oh whoa!

"What the-" she yelled and was staring for about seven seconds before finally closing her eyes. Then I got mad because in those seven seconds my thoughts told me that her thoughts went like this: Damn, it really is big! First second. Why can't Tala look like that? Second second. Aw man, I'm missing what happened to Kyle and his girlfriend. Third second. Wow, that's big! Fourth second. Whoa. Fourth and a half second. So his main hair color **is** the first blue... I think she dwelled on that thought the longest.

So you know what I did?…

… I kissed her… on the lips.

"Tala!" she yelled glaring at me strangely. "Why'd you do that?"

"Oh, so you'd rather stare at Kai manly body and extremely huge dick than kiss me?!" That came out a little louder than I wanted it to, way louder! It was suppose to be in a thought bubble. "I mean, so what if I don't look like him, sue me! And yes Mariah! It is the first blue!" Yeah, I felt all defensive and manly for the moment. Then reality sunk in and I realized what a complete idiot I made of myself. What does Bryan always tell me to say in these situations…

Oh yeah. "Sorry, nervous reaction." Of course she didn't buy it, but on the bright side she thought it was cute that I was jealous. And while Kai went to go see the war zone at Ray's house, she spent the rest of the day teaching me how to kiss.

**Flashback End**

I smiled to myself remembering that night. Then I sighed knowing that moments like those will never come again. I'm going to miss that mansion. And this city. Heck, even the people. Especially Mariah.

Why is Kai staring at me? "First you cry, then you laugh, get mad, blush, smile again and now you look like a lonely puppy." He pointed out to me. I have got to learn to keep my facial expressions turned off when I'm in flashback mode. I realized that we were parked at our favorite ice cream place. "I thought you were going though to much emotional… stress. So instead of running away, how about we get an ice cream, let Mariah explain why she followed us for 30 minutes, squeeze in one crazy adventure and make it home just in time to here Voltaire yell at us infuriated because we missed his "special" meeting."

He made me do all that remembering for nothing! Well, who cares, as long as I get to keep my home. I smiled. "That sounds like a really good plan." Then he kissed me and smiled.

"Nervous reaction." He chuckled.

"What? How did you-?" he began to laugh louder getting out to the car. "Do I talk while I'm daydreaming? Kai?! Do I?" I got out the car and remembered something very important. "Damn it! I never got to see what happen to Kyle and his girlfriend!"

* * *

And that's the time Kai and Tala almost ran away. I didn't mean to make it that long because I know when ever someone doesn't update for a long time, seeing a long chapter makes me not want to read it. But I hope you did.

Review!


	13. In The Closet

Yay! To: **Bluestray**, **StZen**, **rebelmewpheonix,** **grimnessreaper, KonohaSinX Flame **and** marishka91 **thank you so much for the nice reviews even though I didn't update for forever. I was scared no one would bother reading. Hehe. I love you people!

This chapter is a little different, I don't know if you'll find it funny or not so... tell me!

* * *

I'm about to be murdered.

Cruelly murdered by a madman who has been desperately trying to tame his wild grandson for half his life… After I'm dead, my body will be buried in a forest far away from the murder scene. Yet, I'm calmly relaxing on my nice and comfy bed with a soft pillow that I love to nuzzle into, tucked comfortably under my head.

I can expect tonight's events to involve my decapitation, right before my best friends brutal death from either deep wounds, lungs filled with water, suffocation, a bullet drilled through his brain, or some harsh combination of those. But still I snuggle close to him with a gentle smile on my lips.

I sigh with happiness even though Death is my best friend's granddaddy whom will probably discover we are, in fact, located inside of his mansion and take us to be his next client. It's not that I don't care…

I just…

I don't care.

Why, you ask?

**Flashback **

**One Hour Ago**

I can't see, not inches in front of me, and I'm feeling a bit claustrophobic. My butt has landed on something skinny, kind of erect and hard… whoa, that didn't sound weird at all… No seriously, I think it's a hanger. Why do I make this assumption? Because my beloved best friend just pushed me in a small, dark room, which I believe is a closet. I also feel some kind of cloth tickling my head. Why is there a closet in the mall? I don't know.

"Tala? Are you o.k.?" Oh yeah, and let me mention he also pushed my two times ex girlfriend in with me. This is his way of _helping_ me come to terms with whatever was holding me back from being with Mariah. Just wait until I get out! I hope he locks **us** in a closet next. I have a few words and actions for him! "Tala?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." O.k. there will be no flashbacking now. This is serious. I feel so awkward just sitting in the dark… with Mariah in the room! This small room. It feels like it's getting smaller. Oh no! I feel a disturbance in the force.

Please don't let this fart slip out. That is only prayer at the moment. Why is it when you get in delicate moments like these, that flatulence decides to sneak up on you. And I feel like it's gonna be loud. I squeeze my cheeks together. Ok, I think it went back in. My gosh, that was super close.

Mariah's not talking, that's a first. She probably thinks this is the lamest thing she's ever gotten into. Why is it always me?! I hear the clock ticking away on the wall, announcing each second I waist not telling this beautiful angel how I feel. Wait, why is there a clock in a closet? …

Never mind that. Mariah's still hasn't spoken. Somehow I think she's staring at me. That's probably because she has that whole neko-jin thing working for her. All of a sudden it feels like Kai is on my back again, telling me to do something, say something… touch something. And right now. I sigh. Right now, I want to do all of those! I want to stand up and turn on the light, unashamed to stare into her stunning golden eyes! I want to tell her why I broke up with her and how I feel about her right now! Then I want to take her into my firm embrace like a man, connect our lips in a rough passionate kiss, rub my hands through her silky, pink hair, and then kiss and rub and suck and bite every inch of her gorgeous body. Oh God! Do I!

I stop in the middle of my fantasy to realize that I was breathing a little harder than necessary. I wish I could do all of the above... but there are some little problems with that. First off, I can't stand and turn on the light because, one, I don't know where the light is and two, I'd only melt in her gaze. I can't tell her how I feel about her because the words won't form themselves now! How are they going to sound coming out of my mouth?! And as for that last part, tah, I just don't have the balls!

I'm such a loser. My heart rips as I admit to myself that nothing is going to happen in this closet, except me making a fool of myself, hating Kai with each embarrassing second.

"Tala, where are you?" I hear her trying to feel her way around. I guess she can't see me after all. "Crap!" Ouch, I feel her step on my leg and fall on top of me. Ou! I just sat further on the stupid hanger! Well, it's flat on the floor now, not a problem. But forget the hanger!

Breathing is no longer involuntary for me. The blood has seemed to drain away from my brain, cutting all function. I feel warm breath… on my face. Shit! My limbs won't react. My heart is beating so fast and loud, she's so close I'm afraid she will hear it! Mariah… the girl of my dreams… is leaning over my body. My body! And I can't move it! I just let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. But she's not talking. Why is she not talking? Does my breath stink? Does she want me to make a move? What do I do? What do I do?! Oh my God! I feel like the room got smaller and there's no way out. My whole body is shaking, wracked with nervousness. I feel so vulnerable right now, like she could just take control of me. But, it doesn't exactly sound like a bad thing, seeing as, I have no control over myself.

Finally, something happens in this tiny room. Some movement does occur after all that suspense! She sighs… and gets from over me. I blew it. I really am a loser. Kai's only gonna make me feel even worse when I get out. I sigh and let an unseen dejected look slip on my face.

Why do I always let my self-consciousness and fear get in the way of everything? I've been Kai's friend for most of my sixteen years of living. We've done some of the craziest things, yet I can't even make-out with a girl in a mall store closet. O.k. well, I'll give myself some slack, our adventures rarely include other people. Especially not super hot girls who we dumped for no reason but our own cowardliness.

Suddenly I feel soft hands on my arms pulling me to the other side of the room. I land on top of a soft, warm body. "I couldn't decide who I wanted to be on top." a smooth voice whispered in my ear. O.k. I'm not wasting any time now! I missed the chance to kiss her once and I will definitely not miss it again. Here I go! Right now! I'm about to-

I couldn't even finish my thoughts when my hesitant lips were met with the burning lips of Mariah. Her fingers burn my skin with her every addicting touch. I swear it felt like my whole body was on fire! Wait, how do I do this again? Um… who cares, maybe she'll give me another lesson if I'm not doing it right. I am drowning in pure, untamed bliss right now. She smells like strawberries, I love strawberries.

I finally might be able to do all the things I imagined! As I am about to remove one hand from the floor and run it through her hair, I see a light. Am I in heaven?

"O.k. Your nine minutes are up!" I'm going to kill Kai! He opened the door and Mariah abruptly pushes me off of her before getting up and walking out without a word. I stand and began to follow her, roughly pushing Kai aside in the process. "Wow, you actually did make a move! Honestly, I didn't think you had the balls!" he exclaimed.

"Mariah?" I called before she and Arura left the spacious room. She stopped, did an about-face and stood there with a raised eyebrow. I walked up to her, strong on the outside, but shaking like a fat woman in the winter, on the inside. It seemed like the distance between us was a football field, instead of a few feet.

I felt kinda manly while I was standing over, then when I took her into my arms and especially while I kissed her (semi-roughly) on the lips while rubbing my hands through her hair. Oh yeah! Go me! Go me! My God! I go back to the moment in the closet. My insides are blazing. I momentarily hear Kai talking about how interesting the floor is, pretending not to watch our little scene. But then it fades away. There are so many other things I wanna do!

Wait. What is with this lack of oxygen I'm feeling? I can't breath! But I don't wanna breath. Dang it, I breathed. Curse my stupid lungs for making me separate from my love. We just stared at each other, breathless. Kai was still talking to himself about the floor.

"See you tomorrow." Then, she gracefully turned around and followed after Arura who had already left the scene. I just stare after her amazing figure...

"Does this mean you two are going back out? Or is it a nine-minutes-in-the-closet after-party-kiss?" Kai asks. I ignore the question.

**End Flashback**

Today was so amazing. I can't believe we were only in the closet for nine minutes! "Man…"

"Tala," I hear my best friends voice. "I'm not Mariah. Quit groping me!" Then I notice I'm on the other side of him than when the daydream started. One of my arms is around his neck while the other is on his… whoa! I snatch back my hands.

O.k., no more daydreaming while in bed with Kai. "Jeez, I take a short nap before I die and you rape me while I sleep!"

"I didn't mean to!" I explained, almost out of breath like I had been making out with Mariah a few minutes ago. Then I realize something. What if I… with Kai…

Then Kai sits up and scoots to the other side of the bed with his arms folded. "What now?" I ask, tiredly. He doesn't answer. "Kai?"

"You'd rather make-out with Mariah than me!" he pouted. How am I supposed to respond to this? "You never touch me like that, only when you're daydreaming about her!"

I stay silent for a second, trying to gather the right words. "Kai, Mariah and I haven't even been together for an hour and you're already jealous?"

"I'm not jealous, I'm mad. At you!" he ends with a "humph".

"Well, I'm so sorry if I don't tongue you every time we get locked in a closet together!" I suddenly feel my anger rising. "You're the one who pushed us in, in the first place!"

The frown stayed fixed on his face and arms folded over his chest. Silence… His weak response was, "The door wasn't locked." Unfortunately neither was our room door. Voltaire probably heard us arguing and came to find us on opposite sides of the bed in our room.

"Kai! Tala! I have been looking for you brats all day!" he yelled, infuriated. Suddenly I had to pee, but Kai made no obvious movement. "Where the hell did you go?!" I looked to Kai, whom was still staring angrily at the wall. Oh my gosh, he makes me so mad when he gets like this! He's such a baby! "Tala! Tell me!" Me? Kai's your grandson, why are you asking me? _Little help here, Kai!_ I yelled in my head hoping he heard me, knowing he didn't.

I gulped. I have to tell a lie, but a good and believable one. What would Kai say? Man, it's so hard with me having to pee and Voltaire glaring me down. "We… were gonna… um… I really have to pee, may I go to the bathroom?" I asked pathetically.

"Don't let him go, Mariah's probably waiting for him in there in high heels and sexy lingerie'." Kai growled before Voltaire could, most likely, deny my access to the bathroom.

"Kai, will you please get over yourself! You're the one who pushed me in the damn closet!" Usually, I try to ignore his stupid, immature arguments, but this is just annoying.

"But did I tell you to make-out with Mariah!? No! I just wanted you to explain why you broke up with her and leave it at that!" He was now standing on the other side of the bed, fully facing me.

"Get real Kai! If you lock a girl and a guy in a small, dark closet do you think all they're going to do is sit down and talk about why they broke up?! That's stupid!" I'm really angry now. Kai is always going off into these random rages for stupid reasons! I seriously think he's bipolar. I growl. I just want to freaking hit him!

"Well, you're such a **pussy** I didn't think you'd try anything!" I got quiet then, because that was a deep and sharp cut. It not only hurt because Kai, my "best friend", was saying this, but also… because it was true. I didn't try anything. Mariah did everything. I just kissed back. But the scowl on my face didn't go away, it just got mixed with some emotional pain.

Then I said in a lower tone. "You're just jealous because I have a girlfriend. Something you never had and never will!" I yelled before we both turned towards the door and storm passed a dumbfounded Voltaire, out.

"Quit walking on my floor Mr. I have a girlfriend and you don't!" My EX. Best friend sneered. "You know what? Since you're sooooo happy with **your **girlfriend, stop **freeloading** in **my** mansion and get the hell out!" he stopped on the stairs while I proceeded into the front room.

"Freeloading?" I snarled back, feeling hurt and angrier than before. How dare he?! "I didn't even want to stay here, I was forced! If it wasn't for me, you'd be girlfriendless and friendless!" I'm trembling with rage and so is he.

"I do have friends! More than you!" he countered, face redder than I think I ever seen it.

"Oh, I didn't know friends talked about you behind your back and call you names because that's what the people you hang out with do! I just never said anything because I felt sorry for you!" O.k. so that whole sentence was a lie, but he is crushing my feelings!

"Tala, they do the same to you!" What?! "But I will tell you what they say, that you're pussy-ass, balless, prissy little LOSER!" Do they actually talk about me? Maybe he's lying. But why would he, when he can say so many other things about me?

I'm super pissed now. "You know what? Maybe I should go live with Mariah! Anywhere far away from you! No more stupid adventures, no more getting in trouble for things you get me into, no more listening to your annoying ranting about nothing every day! I'd love to get away from you!" I began walking to the door, I don't know where I'm going though. And Kai started to walk back to his room.

"I don't care because I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND ANYMORE!" he screamed louder than a rock star in his best performance and slammed his room door.

**Voltaire's POV**

"I DON'T CARE BECAUSE I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND ANYMORE!" (A/N: It sounded louder to Voltaire because he was, unfortunately, closer.) Kai slammed his room door so hard the chandelier shook. I heard his sobs immediately after. Both their faces were as red as a tomato and strained with anger. Tala had his hand on the doorknob and swung the door open.

"Where do you think you're going?" I snapped at him. He had his back facing me, his body was shaking violently. They're so emotional. They stand there and shout hateful words at each other then go and cry about it. I don't understand these two.

"Your… gr-grandson k-kicked me- me out." He then turned to me looking like he had just seen his mother and father died of blood loss while the doctors stood and watched with ample blood supply.

"My grandson isn't the owner of this house." I countered. He just stared at me with those glassy, blue, puppy dog eyes of his. "Tala, go to your other room and get cleaned up. Dinner will be served in about twenty minutes." I sighed as he slowly made his way back up stairs crying a river the whole time.

I guess I'll inform them that the meeting they missed was held to tell them that the court case was canceled, later. It might even cheer them up a little. I really hope they don't act this way all through dinner though. I groaned.

"What will I do with these two?"

* * *

Wow, that was really long! Aw… Kai and Tala had a fight. I hope they make-up. How did you like Tala and Mariah's little scene? Please review!


	14. Straight, Gay or Kai?

Thanks going out to:**Bluestray**, **StZen**, **rebelmewpheonix, grimnessreaper, UnpReDiCtabLE lIfE **and** marishka91. **Luv ya, guys!!

Sorry if you didn't know, but at the beginning of the last chapter it was Tala's POV. I think I wrote the end of the chapter better than the middle, but ya'll can be the judge of that.

My computer is so slow! You know you have a slow computer when Microsoft takes forever to load up! Geez… But on with the story!

* * *

**Normal POV**

"Tala, this is ridiculous! You two have been friends since the beginning of time! You can't just stop because of some argument that didn't even have a real purpose!" a fed up pinkette tried desperately to get her words through her boyfriend's head. Tala and Kai haven't talked to each other for three days, which Tala spent mostly hanging out with Mariah. They were currently chillin' in her room. Well, neither was actually chill, they were both on edge. Tala was, not because of the Kai thing, but because this was his first time in her room and her parents didn't know.

"Mariah, I really think I should go." He said slowly creeping to the door. "I mean, he might be mad if he finds out I was here."

"Tala, you have to learn to deal with these situations in a calm manor, without argument." The female counseled, pulling her nervous boyfriend back on the bed.

Tala stood in his place though. "I'm not going to argue with him, I might get pounded into the ground!"

Mariah shot him a look of disbelief. "I highly doubt he'll go that far."

"The first time I met him, he stuck a gun in my face!" the redhead yelled hysterically.

"Kai stuck a gun in your face when he was five?" Mariah's look deepened.

The male growled in nervousness and frustration. "No! Not Kai. Your step dad."

"Oh." She sucked her teeth at him. "Keith won't do anything. He's cool, now relax and sit down." She finally was able to pull him on her bed. Tala gave up.

He looked down at the floor in deep thought. Sucking in a breath, he was about to ask Mariah something, but quickly closed his mouth because he thought it stupid. Then, he repeated the action. After the pinkette watched in amusement as Tala bobbed his mouth open and close, she finally decided to stop him.

"Tala?" she got his attention. "What are you thinking? And don't tell me it's nothing because you've been impersonating a fish for five minutes." She placed her hands on her hips.

Another pause.

"I… was scared." He started. "That's why I dumped you." Mariah sucked in a breath herself and sat back pillows. "I was scared that you would get to know the real me and that you wouldn't like me. So, I decided to dump you so it wouldn't hurt so badly. Kai was right, I am a pussy."

At first Mariah didn't know what to say, so she stay quiet for a second. That was kind of a weird thing to take in. "First off, you're not… that word… . And if I didn't want to know the real you, I wouldn't have agreed to go out with you." She turned Tala's head to look at her. "I like what I've seen so far, and I want to see more. I love you, Tala. I don't know if I'm in love with you yet, but I know I love you. Everything about you." There was another pause before Mariah gently placed her lips on Tala's in a nice, soft kiss.

"I love you, too." He smiled, glad to get that off his chest. "I use to think the only person who would ever love me was Kai. I guess that's why we were so close."

"**Are** so close, you mean. You and Kai will get through this. You're like the only guys I know that kiss each other! You just have to swallow your prides and apologize to one another."

"Yeah… but why should I apologize when I never did anything wrong! He started it!" The redhead proclaimed, getting mad all over again. "We need to go so I don't miss my court case."

"Court case?" the pinkette questioned.

"Yeah, me and Kai are getting a divorce." He said in a dejected tone. Mariah just stared at him with that "you two are unbelievable" look.

**With Kai**

"I like Tala and all, but sometimes I feel like he just doesn't understand how I feel." Kai said lying in his huge backyard under a tree. "So what if I don't want him to date anyone, that doesn't mean I'm jealous or anything. But I mean, he was mine first, why should I share him with anyone else? It's like your nuts. Do you share your nuts with other squirrels?" The furry creature just stared at Kai with its big, black eyes.

"I thought not. Then why should I share my best friend with this chick?" He paused as if the animal would respond. "I know, I know. The marriage, the kids, the sex yada yada… But Tala and me are already married… well we won't be in thirty minutes. But as for the kids, he could always adopt! And the sex… ah…" the squirrel seemed to raise his eyebrows at Kai. He seemed to be thinking, then it scurried away. "Oh! Come on! All that talking you did and now you can't help a guy out?!" Kai sighed.

"I wonder what Tala's doing right now…" he stood under the shaded the shaded area and began to walk back to the mansion. "Might as well get ready for the case…"

**In The Kitchen**

"Hey, Dimes! Diiiiiiiiimes! Dimes!" The bluenette cried from his position on top of the kitchen counter. The old butler and some maids rushed into the kitchen. They all looked around frantically.

"Where's the fire?" one maid asked with a Swiffer Duster in her hand, she and the rest had gotten an urgent message that there was a fire in the kitchen on there pager (a/n: I remember those things.).

"Fire? Ah…" they looked towards the young Hiwatari. "Oh yeah, there is none. I just need someone to play with me." He grinned. They all mentally glared at their young master for stopping them from their duties for an imaginary fire. For the past few days he had been pulling stunts like that, and they were all sick of it. Groaning in annoyance, they left. Dimes tried to escape, but being the first one in, he had to be the last out. "O.k. Dimes, what do you want to play?!" the energetic boy asked. The butler let go of the breath he was holding in hopes that Kai would let him go.

He turned to a smiling Kai. "I don't want to play, but to talk." He sighed walking to Kai.

"Talking is good too, I guess. What do you want to talk about? I know! We can talk sports or t.v. or even old guy stuff like digestion and apple sauce." He smiled.

"Ah… no, I was thinking we could talk about Tala." The old man meekly suggested.

"Oh yeah, we're getting a divorce in five minutes!" he abruptly remembered part of the reason he had come inside. "It's being held in granddaddy's business room. Be there, and sit on my side o.k." then he ran out of the kitchen, leaving a worn-out Dimes behind.

**The Case**

"All rise!" the small crowd of people rose as Max, the judge, walked in. "Court is now in session. I've always wanted to say that." Bryan, the bailiff, announced. "We come here today because these two people, Kai Hiwatari and Talaver Ivanov-- your real name is Talaver?" Bryan laughed, asking the redhead sitting on the stand to his left.

"Bryan, just continue!" Max rolled his eyes from his position behind the lavender haired teen.

He chuckled a little more before continuing. "… have made the decision to end their marriage of 11 years. Talaver…" he chuckled again as the redhead glared. "says Kai has become a jealous Meanie-head who doesn't want him to be happy ever since he has gotten with his girlfriend. Kai pleads, Tala is a Meanie-head who cheated on him and stole 5 of his 28 girlfriends." He continued, finding it weird that the word Meanie-head had been found in both the boys' vocabulary.

"What!?" Tala protested. "You've never even had one _real_ girlfriend! I'm pretty sure if you did, we wouldn't be having this case!"

Kai put his nose in the air and folded his arms, "Your Honor, the plaintive is hassling me."

"Tala, could you please wait your turn." Judge Max commanded. "Now, Kai, plead your case, and then you can argue." He folded his arms, feeling powerful in his long, black robe and poofy, white wig.

"Um… don't I get to plead my case?" Tala asked aggravated already.

"Tala… what did we just discuss?" Judge Max reminded. The redhead sighed and turned to face Kai.

"Oo… can I take him out in handcuffs!?" Bryan asked excitedly.

"Let me have fun with my job first." Max whispered loudly. Tala glared at them both.

"Thank you, Your Honor." Kai started. "It was a hot day that day, and Tala had me slaving away in the backyard picking cherries and hanging up his red laundry while singing "London Bridges" by Fergie. He would eat the cherries too fast and by the time I had finished hanging his see-through lingerie', I would have to pick more." Kai claimed in his helpless victim voice. Tala opened his mouth to protest to Kai's completely false and ludicrous claim, but Max gave him 'the look' so he shut it.

"I brought him some ice water like he commanded me to and then he poured it on me and told me to strip for him. When I started crying because of the emotional strain that us strippers go through… he laughed and said 'come here, baby.' Thinking he was talking to me I ran to him in slow motion with open arms, but when I got to him, he pushed me into a pit of lobsters and embraced his new girlfriend, Maria."

"Don't you mean Mariah?" Tala corrected.

"Hey, this is my side of the story!" Kai yelled in his normal voice, but quickly switched back. "Ever since then, they made me help fulfill their every sexual need and fantasy. He even made me…" he started with the fake tears. "He made me…"

"It's o.k. honey, tell us what he did." Max said softly.

"Did you just call him honey? What kind of retarded court is this?!" Tala finally yelled, only to be 'shushed' by Bryan. The redhead folded his arms at the unfairness of the whole thing. Usually, he was the girl in the relationship and got all the sympathy.

"He made me wear a tampon!" Kai cried, the whole court gasped.

"Not that! Not the tampon! Anything but the tampon!" Bryan said dramatically.

"No I didn't, I didn't make him do it!" Tala quickly disowned the crime he knew nothing about.

"Tala, did you do that?" Voltaire quickly stood and asked the redhead, in a serious tone.

"No! No, I didn't do that!" blue eyes grew wide as he tried to convince them. Soon the whole court was in a fuss… well, the guys were, while the girls tried to hold in their laughter. But they couldn't hold it in that long because of the stupid comments they were hearing.

"O.k. everybody shut up!" Mariah yelled and the room went silent. "Kai… please inform the court. What is a tampon?" she asked calmly.

"Easy. A small, discrete, tool that stops blood flow." Kai answered trying to sound smart in his lack of knowledge. All the guys in the room went "Ooooooooo".

"No, that's not what it is." Mariah responded. The guys once again felt in the dark.

"Then what is it?!" Enrique asked.

"You don't need to know." Mariam answered.

"Is it like sex?" Max asked.

"No, Max, it's not like sex." Mariah responded again, amused by the guys ignorance on the subject. "Just continue with the court case." She said casually.

"Um… oh… yeah, Kai, continue." Max ordered.

"Um… that's it."

"Now can I talk?" Tala asked, still wondering about the tampon. Max nodded. "O.k. one, Kai, you have never had a _real_ girlfriend in your life, therefore, there was none to steal!" the audience got back into serious mode. "Second, that whole little story you told up there was a lie. We don't even have cherry trees in the backyard and why should I order you to hang my clothed when we have a drier? I don't have _that_ much see-through lingerie'! My girlfriend's name is Mariah, not Maria. And why would I want you to help with our sexually fantasies?!"

"Because I'm a sex god!" the two toned haired teen responded confidently.

"Kai, there is no word to express the amount of sex you **haven't** had!" Tala countered.

"And like you have had any!"

"I'm waiting until marriage." Was his simple lie. Bryan told him that girls liked it when guys told them that.

"You're just saying that because you're scared." The bluenette teased.

"And you just made up that whole stupid story because you're jealous that I have a girlfriend and you don't. No, you know what, I take that back. You're just mad because you have to share me with someone else!"

"So, I had you first! It's not fair, we've been friends since we were five and then this girl comes-"

"And you totally let it rip us apart!" Tala cut Kai off in the middle of his heartfelt speech. "Mariah makes me happy Kai-"

"And I don't?!" Kai yelled back, feeling worthless and on the brink of crying, but he couldn't because there was too many witnesses.

"Yes Kai, you've made me happy everyday for 10 years."

"But we've been together for 11."

"The first year was kind of weird." Tala admitted. "But, I still love you." The audience gave a long "Aw….". "And I'm willing to give this marriage another chance if you are."

"I love you, too." Kai started, feeling a little awkward expressing his feelings in front of people. "But the problem is still not solved!" The room went quiet again. Both teens were out of ideas and things to say to one another.

"Maybe… Kai could get a girlfriend, so then every time Tala's goes out with me, he can have something to do, too." The pinkette suggested. It sounded like a good idea, but there were a couple problems with that.

"Yeah we thought about that, but the only girl Kai likes in Arura and she's a lesbian." Tala turned and spoke to his girlfriend.

"I am not a lesbian!" Arura, whom had been quiet the whole time, spoke up.

"That's what Kai told me." The bluenette blushed, caught in his lie. He didn't even have to tell it. "He said that while me and Mariah was in the closet he asked you out and you said no because you only liked girls." They all turned to Kai.

He then noticed that all he had to say was that she had a boyfriend. "Um… about that…" Kai tried to find a good lie, but they never came as fluently in these situations.

"Well, that's even better! Arura, will you go out with Kai?" Tala asked with a bright and hopeful smile. The kind of smile people find hard to say no to.

But Arura didn't. "No, I heard he was gay." Once again all eye were on Kai. "I mean, come on, he's never had a girlfriend in his life and he's 16?"

"I'm not gay! I'm sick of everyone thinking that!" Kai yelled, his face turning red with embarrassment and frustration.

"Well are you straight?" Mariam countered. Kai didn't respond. "Are you bi?"

"No…" Kai had his head down, casting a shadow over his face, so they couldn't read his expression.

"No to what?" Bryan asked, surprised that this has never come up in all his years of knowing Kai.

"No… to all of them." For once he decided to tell the truth, unfortunately this might have been the wrong time to start.

"How can you not be anything? You have to have some sexual orientation." Mariah said, trying not to sound harsh because this was her boyfriend's best friend. Kai stayed quiet trying to figure out what he should say. Not even Tala quite understood when he told him, so how would these people who don't even care to understand?

**Flashback**

Two 14-year-olds sat in the back of a big, silver truck in a car lot. They weren't buying it or anything, but it seemed like a good place to eat their ice cream. It was that time of the month again and after they were done with their ice cream they would go find some dude to help complete Kai's plan to scare the crap out of Voltaire. There had been a silence between the boys for a while, but Kai was about to fill it.

"Hey Tali." He got his best friends attention.

"Yeah Kai." Tala answered while licking his ice cream.

He had been working on how to bring this up for a while, but he never quite knew what to say and how to say it. "What do you think about… booty?"

"Booty? Like baby booties?" was the redhead's response, innocent eyes studying his best friend.

"No…" he hesitated, before he remembered this was Tala, his best friend, the person who would never and has never judged him. "Booty… like ass… you know, smack dat, look at dat, girl shake dat? Ass." He said simply. He felt a light blush coming on.

"Oh." Tala looked down. "Um… It's pretty amazing. I like it."

"How much?" Kai asked turning to look at Tala.

"For some unknown reason… a lot. All guys do. Why?" he studied the male across from him dejected expression. "What's the problem, you like big booty?"

"No, the problem is, I don't. I don't like booty at all! I thought I would grow to like it, but I don't and I know it's not normal for me not to like it, unless all these guys wouldn't be making songs about it. I never wanted to tap dat or watch it jiggle or break me off a piece or anything." Tala had to stifle a laugh because of the way Kai explained how he felt.

"O.k., I get it, just cut that gangsta rap stuff and tell me what you trying to say." He instructed getting back into serious mood. "Are you… gay?"

"Well… I never exactly dreamed of putting my Willy Wonka in some guys chocolate factory either." He mumbled, suddenly unsure of Tala's reaction. The redhead just looked a little confused. "It's like, sometimes I look at girls and… I might think they're kinda pretty… but that's only sometimes. Other times I don't feel anything. And I've never been able to get… hard or horny... ever." The blush was now in full force, he couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Like how you always obsess about that one White Tiger chick's boobs. You think they're all big and bouncy." Kai continued.

"Who? Mariah? I don't obsess." He denied. "But they are big and bouncy. You don't think they're big and bouncy?" the Mariah-lover asked with a look of disbelief.

"I know they're big and bouncy! But…" Kai didn't want to offend Tala, but there was no other way to say it. "What's so **great** about them?"

"Everything's great about them!" he yelled hysterically, with a huge smile on his face. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I see what you mean... kinda." He calmed himself down. Tala licked drips of his forgotten ice cream off of him wrist. He needed to say something that would make Kai feel better. "Maybe… you're none-sexual. You don't like guys or girls." Kai looked away from the floor of the truck and at Tala's smiling face. "Maybe you should, I don't know, experiment. Go out with a girl and see how you feel and go out with a guy. Then we'll fully be able to diagnose the problem."

Usually after Kai admits a deep, dark secret to Tala, he wants a hug, but under the circumstances, he didn't know if the redhead would still feel comfortable being so close to him. So, Tala made the first move and hugged his confused best friend. "Don't worry, I've always had a clue about how you felt… especially since you wrote it in our diary… I was just wondering when you would bring it up." Kai smiled now that he was sure Tala was o.k. with it. "Now let's go find that lucky guy!"

**End Flashback**

Tala had taken Kai's hand and led him out of the "court room" of interrogation. He saw that it was deeply upsetting his friend. After their escape, they went to hide out in Paradise (a/n: remember from previous chapters.). Kai was balled up on the blow up mattress crying, with his head in Tala's lap. The redhead gently stroked his hair.

"Kai, it wasn't that bad. They just don't understand. You didn't care if people thought things about you before, so why care now?" he spoke softly, but Kai continued to cry. "Please stop crying Kai."

"No one feels the way I feel, no one can ever know how I feel!" he sobbed. The redhead was beginning to think this was some sort of Kai-PMS. What ever that was.

"I wish I... could tell you I know how you feel, but I don't. I do know what you tell me, though." Another silence came between them. For the second time, Tala didn't know what to say. "But everything's gonna be o.k." he leaned down and kissed his best friend's head. "If they don't except you for who you are, forget them. They never cared for you anyway, but I'm sure some people out there wanna know how you feel."

"Like who?" Tala wasn't expecting that question, but he could say a few names.

"Dimes, Voltaire, Bryan, Mariah. She really wants to get to know you, Kai, even though you don't like her. Dimes and Voltaire want what's best and Bryan is our friend. Everything will work out. So, don't cry." Kai sat up and looked at Tala who wiped the traces of tears away. Kai thought for a few seconds before smiling.

"Are we still married?"

Tala smiled back. "Yeah, we're still married."

"Then, if you're with me I think I have a plan to discover my sexuality. It's a good one, too. But I need your participation." He smiled. Tala was hesitant to agree; knowing this would send them on another crazy journey, but as long as it helped Kai, he knew it was worth it.

* * *

At least they're best friends again. But how did this chapter go? The thing with Kai's sexuality is just me being weird, I write confusing things like that.

And, just wondering, I'm not asking you to vote or anything, but who would be o.k. if Kai were to turn gay? I'm not saying he is, just wondering.

Review Please!


	15. Kai Nervous?

Sorry for the little wait. The chapter wasn't going the way I wanted it to, so I decided to re-write it. It's all for you guys/girls! Dang it! My orange juice is gone!

Lol. It's so funny the way some of ya'll were like 'No! Kai **must not** be gay!' I just had to laugh. I kind of know how you feel. The rest of ya'll were all, 'IDC'. Thanks for reviewing, no matter what your opinion is!

Anywho, on with the story!

* * *

**Tala's POV**

After a few more minutes of assuring Kai that no one was going to throw sharp, pointy objects at him because they thought he was gay, we finally came out…

Of hiding, people! We came out of hiding. And of course everyone had left the mansion. Including, to my disappointment, Mariah. Even though I'm sure she'll pop up randomly at the wrong moment later, like she always does. We need to hurry up and do something awkward.

But right now, Kai and me are having a collision of ideas. There are so many ways to figure out if he's gay or not, but he is stuck on this one. I'm getting ready to just label him bisexual and leave it alone.

"Um… Kai, I'd love to help you. I really would, but are you sure there is no other way?" How in the world do I always get into these things? Yes, I would do anything to help my best friend, but this is a little extreme. Kai hooked his arm around mine and gave me a huge smile, ensuring my company in this next activity. "Kai… please don't make me do this…" I whined. "Mariah might think I'm cheating on her again."

"Tali…" He whined back, using my nickname to seal my fate. "You promised that you would help me! We've done something like this before." Sighing, I rolled my eyes and was about give up, but then I had another thought.

"Why do we have to see if you're gay first? Why can't we just figure out if you're straight?" I smiled as he continued to drag me to his Mustang. He didn't answer me until we were inside.

He gave me an awkward crooked smile. "It's killing two birds with one stone. If I try a girl first and like her, then I could still be bi. However, if I try a guy and don't like him, then we can just go ahead and say I'm straight!" he grinned, putting the car in drive.

I smacked my forehead. "But it could still be the same visa versa!" I hurriedly clicked my seat belt before we got out on the road. "Why don't you just say you're bi until you think otherwise." I suggested. Crimson eyes looked at me full of sadness, my only worry is that they weren't looking at the road.

"Taaaaaaaalllllllllaaaaaaa, I need to find myself **now**! I can't just straddle the fence forever, not knowing who I am. What if I do meet a girl that I really like and get married and have seven girls and two boys? Then what, Tala?" I just look at his strangely and shrug.

"Then what, what?"

"Then, on our sixteenth anniversary invite her to a huge business meeting and while we are making small talk with some guy I don't like, the subject of Mariah Carey come up? Then what, Tala? Then what?" he glared at me as if he was actually making a point.

"Then what, what?!"

"I won't know what to talk about, her ass or her boobs! Boobs, ass, ass, boobs! Because they're both **really** big! Then they'll know something's up and suddenly realize I was gay because I wash my hair with Garnier shampoo!" and he thinks he's making a point… how?

"I don't even think I wanna waist my breath explaining how much sense what you just said did not make." I folded my arms and continued to look out the window.

"I'm the one not making sense? Look at what you just said! You know what, I am not gonna argue with you today. We just went through a terrible almost divorce." His face displayed no trace of a smile.

The car went silent for a few minutes, both of us fed up with arguing with the other. I could tell Kai was thinking hard and serious about the whole situation. I wish I could help him more, but I don't know how. Even if I did know how, he wouldn't listen, just like he's not listening now!

"Tala," he starts again. I notice huge, dejected frown across his usually vibrant face. "Why don't you love me anymore?" Before I can respond or comprehend what was happening, the tires of the car swiftly dart off the road and Kai is outside on the ground in front of the hood.

No, we didn't get into a car accident. He just drove off the road and got on the ground. I seriously think Kai needs to see a psychiatrist about these random emotional breakdowns. I get out the car and walk to the front. He knelt down in a ball, holding his head. I knell beside him and put my arms around him.

**Kai's POV**

The silence in the car forced me into thinking about what I am about to do. I just thought up a bunch of scenarios, all of them ending horribly. To put it simple, I just scared the mess out of myself. What if I am gay? Maybe I should just leave it alone. With this one drive, I could be permanently damaging my and Tala's life. I can't do this… I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life.

I'm not crying yet, just kneeling with my head in my hands. I felt like someone had thrown a blanket of doom over me. But I feel a little better since Tala's hugging me. I know he wants me to explain.

"Tala, I'm scared. What if I am gay? Granddaddy would shun me and no one would want to hang around me anymore. The little friends I have will slowly start to leave me like animals in Noah's ark; quick, fast and in a hurry! I'll also lose my future fortune. Then, Granddaddy will kick me out." I looked up at my best friend, concern flashing in his beautiful blue eyes. "And worst of all, I'll drag you down with me. And soon you'll leave me, too." I heard my voice crack. Then I blinked and two things happened. I started crying, a single tear fell from my eye. Wanna know what Tala did? Did he wipe it away? No, he didn't. Did he kiss it away? No not that either.

I felt a burning sting on my cheek. He slapped me… right across my face… hard. I just looked up at him, pain and confusion all over my face. I sat up to get a good look at him. His face displayed anger, he was truly mad. And this anger was different then when we were arguing, or when he was trying to talk me out of another senseless adventure. It was like I had insulted him or something. But what did I do?

"Why would you say that?" he demanded with an intimidating tone. But I was so shocked from the slap I don't even remember the last thing I said. He saw my confused look and continued with, "What would make you think I would leave you? After all we've been through, why would I leave you just because you're gay?"

"Just because I'm gay?! Tala, that's a really big deal!" I can't believe he doesn't understand the seriousness of this situation. "And I wasn't saying you would leave me because I was gay. You'd leave me because I would drag you down with me!" His glare just intensified. I haven't seen him look at me like this in a long time. I can't believe he slapped me. Suddenly, I feel myself being lifted off the ground and practically dragged back to the car. Tala pushed me in the passenger seat and went around to get in the driver's seat.

"There is no way we came all the way out here for nothing." He put the car in drive and started to speed off.

"Tala! We've only been driving for five minutes! The mansion is right down the road!" It feels like my best friend and I have switched brains. It's kind of cool, but at the same time, weird. He didn't respond to my comment we just kept riding. But I guess Tala's just giving me a taste of my own medicine, in a way. Off to Devil's Kitten once again!

**Devil's Kitten**

**Normal POV**

Our favorite two walked into the fancy strip club hoping they wouldn't get noticed or recognized by anyone… considering what happened last time they were here. The plan seemed to be working as they slipped on over to an empty table. They needed to find a guy Kai could experiment with. And what better place to find a hot and willing candidate than a strip club!

The place was over flowing with half naked people just like the previous time, but it was only sunset so not a lot of guests were there. If no one had noticed them yet, someone sure would soon from the way Kai was oddly knocking his knees together in his chair.

"Kai, calm down." Tala whispered to him unnecessarily.

"I can't. I'm so nervous, I have to pee." The phoenix whispered back. "I have to go." Tala glared at him, thinking he meant 'go' as in 'leave'. "… to the bathroom." They both rolled their eyes at the other, which looked kind of cute to a certain person who had been watching the two from the moment they stepped in. Then Kai made his exit.

Now all the redhead can do is sit and wait, hoping not to look suspicious. He was back to accidentally looking at personal part of female and male bodies, then whispering to himself that he wasn't. Kai was taking so long in the bathroom that Tala actually found himself trying to pick out a guy that Kai should experiment with. And for some strange reason, he was comfortable with this. As long as he knew his sexuality, he was fine.

At the moment he was studying a certain male stripper with a well built body, jet-black hair, blue eyes and jean pants… no shirt. He was placing silverware on the tables. _He looks like a guy Kai would go for._ Tala smirked to himself, knowing his best friend's taste. However, the redhead was so lost in thought he didn't notice that the guy had noticed his staring until his crotch was in Tala's face. _Uh oh._

Tala looked up into the blue eyes of the stripper, his face immediately turning red. He was expecting the guy to yell at him or tie him to a strip pole for staring, but to his surprise the young man opened his mouth and said, "Hello, Talaver. Long time, no see." Then, if it wasn't strange enough that this guy knew his name, he leaned down and kissed him!

Tala was so shocked he couldn't even talk. _Why would this guy just out of the blue kiss me like that?!_ _And how does he know my name?!_ Worst of all, who decided to show up on the scene at that exact moment to see this awkward and uncomfortable situation? Who else, but the effervescent pinkette herself, Mariah.

_How do I get into these things!? And why isn't Kai back yet!? _

* * *

Honestly, I didn't want to leave you guys at that little cliffy, but if I have to. I don't really like the beginning of this chapter. Actually, I only like the part at Devil's Kitten. What do you guys think?

Please review!


	16. My Stripper Family

I'm back on an updating streak. Believe it or not, the story is coming to an end. There just isn't a BIG thing that happens, it's just going to end... or maybe there is...

Thanks to: **StZen**, **Bluestray** and **marishka91** for reviewing! Each review makes me so happy. I hope you guys like this chapter. I'm kinda jumping out on a limb here.

* * *

Tala's heart skipped a beat when he saw Mariah, but not in a good way. He feared that she would think he was cheating on her with a guy and they would break up again. But surprisingly, she was still smiling, which confused him.

"Mariah, I can explain." He started as she approached the table. "I was not cheating on you. I don't even know this dude!" he disowned and was about to go on when Mariah said,

"I know." She smiled.

"Is that a trick question?" he asked, wondering if Mariah was going to play nice until she got close enough to snatch his head off.

"Um… that wasn't a question." She giggled. The Russian averted his eyes from Mariah to the guy and then repeated the action after thinking about how cute Mariah's giggle was to him. "I'll give you two some time to get acquainted." She then giggled again, seeing her boyfriend's obvious discomfort. And with that, she walked off. The young man took the seat Kai was previously occupying.

The same excited smile stuck on his face. "Um… I don't know where to start." He shook his head.

"How about starting with telling me who you are and how you know me." Tala suggested, still feeling awkward as always.

"Oh yes, my name is Flare Ivanov. I'm your older brother." He smiled brightly. Tala didn't really know how to take that information. He didn't even know he had a brother. The dude had black hair for crying out loud! Did he really expect Tala start jumping up and down? "I've been looking all over for you, Talaver."

"Quit calling me Talaver. My name is Tala." He retorted with a hint of anger. He didn't know why he was angry, he just was.

"Oh, sorry." Flare took a deep breath. "I just can't believe I actually found you! I saw you here last time, but I wasn't sure it was you. So I asked Mariah, and when she started telling me about you, I was sure!" Tala was still a little wary.

"So… if you're my brother, then where have you been?"

"Here, there, everywhere! After I turned 18 and got out of foster care… well, I was pretty much left with nothing. So, I dance for a living."

"You mean strip." Tala said flatly, making his potential brother shrink back.

"Yeah…" Flare said, getting the feeling that Tala didn't want to see him as much as he wanted to see Tala. It's not that the redhead didn't like his "brother", but for all he knew this guy could be lying. Why would his parents send him to Biovolt and not Flare? It just didn't make any sense.

"I'm… afraid you got the wrong person." Tala got up from the table and began to walk away.

"Talaver! Wait." Flare walked as fast as his tight jeans would let him. "I know that you are my brother." He started to wonder why Tala had stopped, before seeing our favorite bluenette running towards them.

"Tala! Tala! You won't believe what just happened!" Suddenly Tala felt the hard tile floor on his back and Kai on top of him. "I'm horny, Tala! I actually got hard! It's not a very good feeling, but I am. I'm hor-" Tala covered his mouth before he said anything else that would make the redhead's face get any redder.

"Kai, you don't just shout that kind of stuff out loud in public!" he hissed.

"It's a strip club, who cares?" Kai made a pouty face. "But aren't you happy for me?"

"Yes." The blue-eyed Russian sighed. "Now get off me and explain." He had to admit, he was very interested in Kai's sexuality. He just wanted him to be happy.

Kai hopped off his best friend and help him up, coming face to face with the raven-haired Flare. "Hi." Kai greeted. "Who are you?"

"I'm Flare, Talaver's older brother." He smiled.

"No you're not. If anyone is Tala's brother, it's me. Now seriously, who are you?" Kai asked again, abruptly feeling territorial again.

"He is!" Mariah once again stepped on the scene, putting her arm around Flare's waist, in a friendly way. She couldn't reach his shoulders. "Tala, he's been looking all over Russia for you. His last name is Ivanov. We have his birth certificate." The pinkette confirmed.

"He has black hair!" Kai shouted, noticing Tala's upset expression when Mariah put her arm around Flare. "If this is your way of asking Tala to do a threesome, don't bother, I already tried."

"Ever heard of dye!" Mariah shot back. Then looking around, she saw that a lot of people were starting to stare. As much as she liked attention, it's always bad when Kai's around. "Listen, lets talk outside."

The four made there way out of the glass doors of the strip club, occasionally exchanging comments. Kai seemed to be the angriest about the situation because, one, he felt his spot in Tala's life was once more being threatened, and two, he want to tell Tala more about his very first erection. Mariah sat on the back of her pink Mustang while the others stood around.

"Tala, I really don't know how to prove to you that I am your brother. My hair is naturally black, but that's because out mom's hair is black." Flare tried again.

Flare seemed so sincere with his words, Tala felt sorry for the way he acted before. And now only one thing was on his mind. "Well… if you are my brother… then," he was almost afraid to asked. _What if the answer isn't what I want to hear? _"Then, you should know… where our mother is… right?"

Suddenly Flare's face brightened again. "Yeah! She's a dancer, too! I just met her five months ago, though. She's pretty cool." Tala could have fainted at that very moment. His mother… a stripper? Wow, that's something to take in… "I'll go get her." With that, Mariah and Flare walked away.

"You're mama is a stripper… That is… interesting." They both stared after the retreating forms of Mariah and Flare. "I knew you worked the pole a little too well. It's in your blood!"

Tala rolled his eyes. After staring for about three full minutes Tala asked, "Well, how was it?"

"How was what?" Kai asked confused.

"Your first time!" the redhead chuckled.

"Oh… um…" a light red came to Kai's face. "Can we talk about that later?" he asked, nervously scratching his head.

"What happened?" the blue-eyed Russian's smile started to fade. But before Kai could give a lame excuse as to why he could not tell Tala about his first time, Flare, Mariah and two other female strippers came to meet them.

"OMG! Tala, that's her!" Kai gasped before hiding behind his best friend. Luckily for him, he and Tala are almost the same height.

"You got horny for my mother!" It was only logical to think so, seeing as Mariah was supposed to be bringing back Tala's mom. Tala felt awkward, he didn't even know his mom, but the fact that Kai was possibly thinking about… entering his (Tala's) exit into the world… was just plain weird.

"Tala, this is Jou, your mama!" the pinkette introduced upon approached. Strangely, she had black hair just like Flare. Her caramel skin deeply contrasted with he blue eyes. The redhead had always dreamt and daydreamed of meeting his real mom. He wanted to do and say so many things to her, but now that he was in the moment… he didn't exactly know what to do. She may have been his mother, but she might as well be a stranger.

"Talaver, I've been looking for you for so long." She actually looked like she could have been his sister; she was so young. Tala wasn't as surprised as with Flare, when she came up and kissed him. Apparently the Ivanov family was very welcoming. He still didn't know how to react.

"And… who's she?" he asked, pointing to a beautiful redhead girl… who looked oddly a lot like Tala. Sea blue eyes, pale skin, red hair and a girly physique. She was the only one Tala thought without a doubt that he could be related to.

"Rala, your twin sister." She had an amazingly soothing voice, it was so soft and made you want to listen to her all day. She definately seemed like the shy type.

But Tala wasn't concentrating on her voice, he only heard words, and those word made him burst out laughing. He was so confused that the only thing he could focus on was the fact that Kai got horny for either his mom or his twin sister. Now that was something to laugh at. "What's so funny?" she asked before noticing someone behind Tala. "Who's that?"

Tala stepped aside, revealing an embarrassed bluenette. "Um… hi Rala." He smiled.

"We haven't even been dating for an hour and already you're hiding from me." She blushed for a reason no one but her knew. That stopped Tala's laughing. He wasn't even worried about the weird irony that after 16 years his family decided to randomly show up all together.

"Wait. You're dating my sister?" he suddenly got serious. "You can't date my sister! Do you know how many levels of wrongness that is!?"

"Why can't I?"

"First of all, you don't even know if you're straight or not! Second, I'm sure you cannot get to know someone in thirty minutes, and three SHE'S MY TWIN SISTER!" Tala finally knew how those brothers on t.v. felt when some guy tried to steal their sister. He didn't know her, but that didn't mean she wasn't his sister. Everyone, including Kai just stared at Tala after his little episode. No one really knew what to say, but we all know by now that Kai will find some words to throw out there.

"…But we're soul mates…um… and she's pregnant… with my baby." Tala slapped his face at how ridiculous Kai sounded_. Poor Rala. She seems so naive and insecure. _The male redhead thought.But Tala was shocked, when he opened his eyes Rala and Kai were right in front of him in a full out lip-lock.

All he could do was glare. _There is no way Kai is going out with my sister._ He thought to himself.

* * *

I know a lot of people don't like O.C.'s (I hate them), so they'll be out soon… maybe. But what do you think about Tala's family so far? And Kai's new "soulmate/babymama"? Is the story taking a good turn?

Please review.


	17. Like Romeo and Juliet

Sorry for the wait Homies! I went to camp for a week. It was iight.

Thanks to: **.EverLastingFun.**, **StZen**, **Bluestray**, **grimnessreaper** and **rebelmewpheonix.**

I was really hoping the last chapter wasn't too random for you, but you guys seemed to think it was ok. Therefore, I'm ok.

Did you guys know the story of Romeo and Juliet happened in a week? Yep, they met and fell in love like Sunday night and committed suicide on Friday night…

Ah... teenage love. Only about 5 of teens truely have it. The rest are just foolin themselves. Anywho, to the story!

* * *

**Tala's POV**

Right now, I am sitting down with my stripper "family" in a fancy strip club restaurant called Devil's Kitten. I should be happy that after so many years of not knowing my family, I finally found them. But the last memory I have of my mother is the one of her letting Boris take me away.

Now tell me, would you be very excited to see them? Now add on the fact that I had no clue that I had a sister or brother. That is completely foreign to me. However, my politeness will not let my face expression or words reflect what I really feel on the inside.

So I shall continue smiling, asking questions about my past and not hitting Kai in the face for fooling around with my sister right in front of me! Seriously, it's like they're having sex at the table! I'm trying really hard not to say anything. But come on! They just met a couple hours ago!

"So Jou," I call her Jou because I'm really not comfortable referring to her as 'mother' just yet, if I ever will be. "Why did you put me in Biovolt, but not Rala or Flare?" As those words left my mouth I glared over at Kai whom was nuzzling my sister's neck at the moment, while she feebly told him to stop. Her giggles seemed to be telling Kai to do the opposite.

"Flare is five years older than you. When he was born we didn't know about Biovolt, and ended up losing him in foster care. Your father and I just couldn't take care of a child. Well, I couldn't. Your father just didn't care."

"So I was an accident?" I snapped out unintentionally.

She seemed to be thinking of a nice way to put it. "You weren't exactly planned. No." Then she quickly followed up with, "But I didn't care. I still wanted you. I love you, Talaver." I could look into her eyes and see that she was honest in her words, but Kai's whispers were getting really annoying. I almost can't comprehend what Jou is saying because I'm so much more determined to hear what Kai drowning Rala's mind with. I had actually blinked out until I heard the word "leaving".

"Um…" was my amazing start. "What was that about leaving?" I asked quickly, momentarily forgetting about Kai.

"Oh yes, I never stay in one place at a time. I'm actually supposed to be packing after the show tonight so I can leave tomorrow. Flare and Rala will be joining me." Then I saw her smile fade a little and I also noticed Kai freeze.

"You're… leaving… tomorrow?" my phoenix asked slowly, nothing but hurt reflecting in his eyes and he looked at my sister. She slowly looked down into her lap at her hands.

The table was silent once again until a soft voice filled the air. "I've always wanted to meet my mother, Kai. Now that I have, I don't want to lose her again." My best friend sat up straight, putting some distance between him and Rala.

"We can postpone the flight for three days, but I'm afraid no longer. Your father has been tracking me down like a dog and the cops have no leads on his whereabouts. So, I keep moving to cover my tracks." Jou explained.

"Why is… he after you?" I didn't want to call him my father, when I didn't even call my mother, Mother to her face.

"Because I left him. About a year after we put Rala in foster care and you in Biovolt, I couldn't take it anymore." I saw tears forming in her eyes. "I had gotten pregnant again and had a miscarriage because of him." her face turned from sorrowful to vengeful. "He will pay. But for now, I must lie low."

Leaving, already? I just met my biological mother, sister and brother and they are already leaving? This can't be. I feel abandoned once again, because this will be her second time leaving me. I feel unwanted.

"But…" Flare decided to enter the conversation. "When you came here the first time, we discussed something. We had already known the time we would leave and decided to leave it up to fate. If you didn't come back, then we would leave and let you continue to live you life as if we never existed. But if you came back… we planned to," he paused and looked at Jou, then Rala, then me, "ask you to come with us. To Paris." She smiled.

How was I supposed to react? They want me to leave everything behind and just move to Paris with them. Just like that. I admit, I really do want to get to know my family better, but… Paris? Away from everything I know, everybody I know. I'm just beginning to find true comfort in the mansion… my mansion. Just beginning to call it my own and already they want me to leave. Just like that. Voltaire has done so much for me, he's treated me like a grandson, really… Am I really expected to just go?

My family has no connections. Anywhere they go it is strictly business… that's what I pick up anyway. They don't know how it feels to be truly attached to something. I grew up in that mansion, around those people, in Moscow. One day I will leave, but now is not the time. Now is definitely not the time. But will they understand?

Then there's Kai… he's not leaving the mansion anytime soon. I go wherever he goes. But… is that the right thing to do? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm so confused.

"Um… I don't… know." Was all I could bare to say at the moment. All three of them just smiled at me.

My mother spoke, "Well, you have three days to think about it. It's ok Tala, we understand that you have other commitments here. Don't cry." Cry? I look down to see liquid drops on my hands and lift one up to feel my moist cheeks. When did I start crying?

Suddenly it starts to get dark. I thought I was about faint, but it appears that someone had just turned the lights down. "What's up er'body!?" I look up to see a female who looked in her early twenties fully dressed in an evening gown on stage.

"Oh!" Jou exclaimed, "We'll talk more when we get back." With that said, my three just discovered family members got up and began to leave for backstage. Rala took a long look at Kai before turning to go get changed for the show.

Kai and I waited in silence for about five minutes, both of us in deep thought. "Tala…" Kai started the same time I said, "Kai." Our politeness training going out the window, we simultaneously decided, "We should leave."

Both of us quickly got up, not wanting to face our predicament. However, when those girls burst out from behind the curtains wearing close to nothing we silently announced that we would stay for **just** a _few_ more minutes. I tried not to look. Honestly, I did. But my manly hormones had me glued to the seat, forcing me to enjoy every moment those girls were up there. Kai watch a little, but after about three minutes he sunk back into his gloomy mood. He most likely didn't announce that he wanted to leave because he saw that I didn't.

When the guys came out I felt very different. I was not enjoying this as much as I enjoyed the girls, if at all. I felt happy because Kai seemed slightly interested if I'm not mistaken. Then I felt jealous because I knew that somewhere in this crowd of people, Mariah was watching thinking that those guys up there were even hotter than I was! With their ripped abs and perfect asses…

"Kai, lets go!" I commanded, getting up before he pulled me back down. "Kai…"

"Don't you think your brother would want you to watch his performance? He looks really hot in those clothes." He said softly. I swear, these mood swings of his will be the end of me!

But I look up and spot the only black haired male on the stage swirling on a pole. Let me just clarify to myself that if he wasn't my brother, I would not be the least bit interested in this performance. I slowly relax in my seat.

"He was trying to get your attention since the beginning." Kai chuckled. "That's why I was watching so intently."

I smirked, "Suuuuuuuure… that was the reason." I said sarcastically.

"Really! He's funny! He almost tripped, but everyone knows strippers don't fall down." Kai smiled. I just couldn't understand how a guy could bend that way. He was up and down the pole, no hands sometime. Then some girls came out and by the look on Kai's face, I knew one of them had to be my sister. She was really good. I can't believe I just thought that.

Her and another guy ended up doing some dance that looked like ballerina meets street meet opera at the end. And everyone knows all opera is, is people singing loudly while having sex on stage. I was surprised when at the end, she through off her top, but no one saw anything because the lights went out.

When the lights came back on Kai's expression was clear. His face displayed anger and betrayal. Obviously he did not like the duet my twin did with the guy. I have to admit, they did get extremely touchy, but Kai should have expected that. **She's a stripper!** With out another word he got up and began to leave. I followed after.

"How could she?! How could she go up there and just disgrace herself like that!?" he turned to me in a angry motion.

"She's a stripper." I informed dryly, knowing that he wouldn't listen anyway, so why put volume in my voice.

"And the guy! They were practically having sex on stage!" he exclaimed.

"She's a stripper." I said with the same monotone.

"Then she wants to throw off her top! How could she!? She told me she was a virgin, but now I'm having a very hard time believing that."

"She's a stripper." I say again, but continue. "Not a prostitute, nor a porn star. She gives people something to see, but touch is not involved."

"Her and that guy were touching an awfully lot!" he shook his head. We stood for a couple more seconds before he said, "Let's go." So we headed to the Mustang. I texted Mariah to let her know what was up. I don't know if I should be content with this or not. No, I don't want Kai with my sister, but they did seem happy. Isn't that what I want? For Kai to be happy?

**Mariah POV**

I just got a text from Tala saying that they were leaving because Kai didn't exactly _love_ the show. Before Rala went on, she told me that she didn't have a good feeling about doing her performance in front of Kai. I told her that he should be ok with it. I sigh deeply. Great! Now if they break up, it's all my fault.

Rala just walked over to me in her tremendously revealing short shorts and jacket. Her previously brushed down red hair is now in a wet and slightly messy giving her this bad girl look. The small smile on her face erased that image though. It was hopeful, but I felt bad that it was about to be diminished. My slow sigh told the whole story in an instant and immediately she ran to the bathroom. My! Do they like each other that much? By the end of the week they'll be committing suicide.

I followed her to the bathroom, which has an oddly soothing aroma to it. It's like a garden in here, decorated with kitten everything. Soap dispensers, towels, tile floors, bathroom door locks… Mama went all out on the bathrooms. I guess she wanted the strippers to feel completely comfortable while taking a dump.

I walk to the last stall, which is most likely the one she went to. Her usually calm face is covered with regret. "I don't know what to do, Mariah." She sniffed. "Stripping is all I have. I actually… like it. If he can't except that, I don't know what I'll do. And I don't know what I'm gonna do about Jou and Flare leaving. They're going all the way to Paris and I love them both, but I really like Kai, too." Her voice was still soft, but shaky. I really don't see how this is going to work out, but I told her it would be ok, so I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it is. I give her a comforting hug.

"Come on." Suddenly blue eyes were staring at me. I looked down at the blinking red dot on my cell phone. "It looks like they're heading back to the mansion. You can go explain how you feel and talk things over with Kai. I'll give your mom and Flare directions so they can come after the show." I smiled, helping her up off the toilet (with a lid on it.). She nodded a little and began to walk out with me. Man, this Romeo and Juliet love is crazy. But at least she isn't showing any sign of suicidal thoughts.

* * *

Well, that's it for that chapter. I fell like I only took you guys half way with this one. Like I didn't get into enough emotion. I think I'm gonna make the next chapter way longer.

This story is almost over so I'm going to get myself reaquaited with **Babies Change EVERYTING!** I know a lot of people want to cuss me out about that story. lol

Please review! I have 99!!


	18. Virgin? I Think Not!

I MADE IT PAST 100 REVEIWS! I'M HAPPY! I think it was at the same chapter as BCE. Oh well, I'm still happy!

Thanks: **StZen**, **Bluestray**, **grimnessreaper, marishka91** and **rebelmewpheonix **for expressing their love for of my fic. Thank you guys for reviewing, it makes me so happy. Every chapter I put up I'm afraid that it took a turn that you guys won't like, but so far, so good.

Since ya'll review the most out of everyone who put this on their favs, I guess that makes you my judges. Yay! I have nice judges! So please tell me your opinion on this very long chapter.

**Note**: I think I was high on some non-prescription pills while writing half of this chapter. I'm serious. I didn't mean to! And I'm not backspacing anything! LOL. I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and it's only Kai's POV in the flashbacks.

* * *

"I can't believe this! Tala, how could she do this to me!?" Kai yelled flopping back on his bed in frustration.

"I don't know what to do. I want to get to know my family better, but their leaving so quickly." Tala flopped beside Kai, neither of the two noticing that they were on completely different subjects.

"After I told her that I loved her and everything!" Kai threw his hands in the air before letting them fall back beside him.

"I can't make a decision like this in three days! This is life changing!" the redhead felt himself getting angry with his family for asking him to join them. There was never a moment in Tala's life when he wasn't confused, but he had to admit that this had to be his highest point. But through his dizziness, he noticed his best friend violently grab a path of his own hair and pull on it roughly.

"She's having my baby! What am I gonna do! She's leaving for Paris!" the bluenette growled and pulled harder at his blue locks before sliding his hands down his cheeks. "The only girl I ever loved is leaving and taking my baby!" Even though both Tala and Kai were in their personal, most emotional time in their life, the redhead had to call Kai out on this one.

"Kai," he looked over to his best friend. "How is someone who you just met a couple hours ago, pregnant with your baby?" Tala watched as Kai slid further back on the bed to the pillows.

"Because…" an innocent expression played across Kai's sad eyes and pouting lips. "We did some stuff…" he reluctantly admitted, turning his head so Tala couldn't see the red going across his face.

Thin caramel lips parted, as Tala gaped at his supposed best friend. "What!?" he yelled outraged. There was no way Kai was saying what Tala thought he was saying. "When?! Where?!" he snapped out at the guys sitting diagonal from him on their bed.

The phoenix let a sigh escape his lips. "Well… this is how it happened…"

**Flashback**

**Kai's POV**

Leaving the table Tala and I had designated for ourselves, I had made up in my mind that this would be the day that I, Kai (middle name is not to be spoken out loud or in silence, written on paper or bathroom walls or thought by anyone, including the mute and deaf, ever! Because it is just that bad.) Hiwatari, would finally find myself.

I came in this fancy strip club feeling utterly nervous and scared. I was nervous because I had to pee really bad, and was hoping I didn't go in my brand new South Pole jeans. I didn't say anything though because I was scared Tala would slap me like he was my pimp… again. I still feel it a little.

Yet, I will walk into this bathroom with confidence. With my neck hair standing high and chin firmly planted on the cold, pearly tile floor. It would also seem that my hands and tongue had switch places. For my hands felt like they had been licked by over grown Chihuahuas and my mouth was a dry as my underwear at the moment… I was drooling.

You are probably asking yourself why I am undergoing this great phenomenon. What would make the great Kai Hiwatari's mouth gape, palms sweat, saliva opening go into over drive, underwear to become wet and all strands of hair and a certain part of a male body stand at attention?

Why? Because I was in Heaven and the gate angel was standing right down the hall from me, wearing close to nothing! As soon as I had regained my normal thought process and quickly snatched off my pants to keep them from smelling of piss, I ran to the room my angel was in.

When I entered, I was greeted with a loud scream from this beautiful redhead. She even had the voice of an angel. "Why are you in the girl's bathroom?"

"Girl's bathroom?" Was all my mind of mush could come up with. How stupid do I look? I'm in the wrong bathroom looking and feeling like what goes in a toilet, with my South Pole jeans in hand and a huge wet spot on my boxers. Wow Kai, you are so smooth. And to top it off, I can't stop looking at this beautiful angel whom is in a sexy, red pin-up girl outfit with a hat. This image is making me have a very uncomfortable feeling in my boxers… or out. I look down to see that the hole in my underwear that was once buttoned up is no longer buttoned and… something is sticking out of it.

Someone please tell me why I feel the need to drop off the face of the earth at this moment. Now I just look at this gorgeous beauty, who looks strangely like Tala when I play dress up with him.

**Flashback Interrupted**

The redhead couldn't help but laugh at this point, he had wanted to do it ever since Kai past the part where he took off his pants and ran down the hall. After calming down, he pointed out, "You do realize by calling her gorgeous, you just call me gorgeous right?" the redhead smiled, which was the gateway to another laugh.

"I do think you're gorgeous." The laughter suddenly stopped as Tala starred at Kai. "I told you that before."

"I thought you were kidding." He furrowed his eyebrows, then chuckled, "Yeah I guess I am pretty hot!" he laughed again. However, this brought another question to Tala's mind. "So… did you ever find out…"

Kai shook his head before his best friend could even finish, but maintained a bright smile. "No. First off, I find nothing wrong with calling you beautiful because you are the prettiest guy I have ever met in my life. Actually, you're the only pretty guy I know. Put that pin-up outfit on you and you will look just like your sister. Flat chested, but sexy." He folded his arms with confidence and held his head high.

The redhead just sighed and scooted back beside Kai. He let what his best friend just said sink in. This subject definitely needed more thinking on, for Kai was not the first person to call him beautiful, gorgeous or pretty… Not knowing if he should take it as and compliment or a crucial critique to his not so manly physique, he said, "O.k. Continue."

**Flashback Continue**

I was expecting this creature to label me a loser and express it verbally or physically, but I got a different reaction out of her. She giggled. And it was the cutest giggle I had ever heard. Instead of harsh words emitting from those soft looking lips, they curved into a smile before parting.

"Are you ok?" That's what she said. I could imagine that I do look like a lunatic right about now. Maybe even some perverted, sick, sexy creep. Most girls would slap me, kick me and try to hurt me in to spot that is causing me loads of discomfort at the moment, yet she seems genuinely interested in **my** well-being.

"I am now." We both awkwardly glance down at my erection. "Somewhat." I gulped in unexplainable embarrassment. I remember thinking that this one emotionally fatal encounter was payback for all the stupid and humiliating things I made Tala do on a daily basis.

**Flashback Interrupted… Again**

Tala snored. "You bet it was! I love karma!"

"Hey! Quit interrupting my flashback! I never interrupt yours!" the phoenix shouted at his best friend, before folding his arms and pouting.

"Fine. Continue."

**Flashback continued**

"I think you had an accident." Her smile was more perfect than that chick's on the Orbit commercial. She was truly an angel. And I am the biggest loser in the world. When she gently took my hand to lead me out of the bathroom I was so shocked and dizzy, I don't remember anything about that moment except how warm her hand was on mine.

It felt like I had been knocked out and woke up standing in a totally different room. It had two portable racks of outfits no regular person would consider clothing, a vanity with so many accessories, a couch, and another door. It was so warm. I had just realized that my heart was racing as if I had just finished the hardest obstacle course ever and won first place.

"Take off your boxers." She had the softest command ever owned by a potential official in command. It was so smooth, but you felt the need to do what ever it told you to do. So I obeyed.

It felt weird standing there in nothing but a shirt. She didn't seem bothered by it though, and continued to make small talk. "So, what brings you to Devil's Kitten?" she asked. I explained my whole story like I was in a confessional and hooked up to a lie detector in front of God himself. All the while she moved hypnotically around the room, trying to find something for me to wear. But expressed her deepest apologies when she came up with nothing.

"That's ok." I told her. "I'll just put back on my pants. They're not wet." She laughed again, but I was being serious.

Apparently she didn't know that. When I started to put on my pants, she stopped laughing. "Wait." There was not exclamation point behind that. "Let me help you with that." Those words rung so loudly in my head that I couldn't even see straight. The most nerve-racking part is I don't think she was talking about my pants. She sashayed over to me once again and dropped **my** pants. I was frozen, really frozen. I had never felt anything like I was feeling right now. She laid me down on the sofa. At this point, breathing was defiantly a voluntary action.

"Just relax." She told me. And then proceeded to kiss me deeply. That's when my body took over and I began to kiss, and moan, and squeeze everything my hands were on. She gradually started taking her clothes off, while telling me her life story during our little "R" rated scene. I don't know why she choose this moment to tell me about herself, but… I wasn't about to complain. I seriously tried to listen, and managed to hear a couple things, but my own mind was way too loud to hear much of what my angel was saying.

And suddenly, a thought ran through my head… My eyes widened with realization. "Oh my God! I'm horny!" _I'm actually horny!_ She was so startled by my outburst she jumped off of me. I quickly began to put on my pants.

"What's wrong?" she asked with all the innocence in the world.

"I told you. I have never been able to get horny for anybody or anything. But you helped me!" she still stared at me startled. "I gotta go tell my best friend!" then I ran out the door, but came back into to ask, "Oh, will you be my girlfriend?" she smiled and nodded her head. Then I left, only to come back again to ask, "And can we **please** finish this later?"

This time she gave me a wary look and said, "I'll think about it."

**End Flashback**

"Then I proceeded to tell you about my first erection!" Kai smiled brightly at his best friend, whom he was now straddling for reasons only he knew.

Tala stared up at his best friend in complete shock and disbelief. After a few second of silence the redhead blinked once… twice…thrice… "So…" he started. "Are you telling me, that at this very moment you are not wearing any underwear?" In response to Tala's question, Kai gave a very toothy grin. The redhead rolled his eyes. "And… are you also telling me that my sister is a loser loving slut?"

Kai's mouth gaped and then worked it's self into an anger filled scowl. "Excuse me."

"I mean, it seems like you looked like a total loser at that moment and she was just so willing to jump on you." The redhead explained.

Then Kai nodded, "Yeah, I guess I see what you mean. But remember, I had just told her about my life and while we were messing around she managed to tell me a little about her's too. It was love at first sight. Plus she told me that in all her years of stripping she still remains a virgin."

The redhead let everything Kai told him sink in. He honestly wanted to be happy for Kai and his new found "love", but some parts of this story just didn't add up. Tala gave Kai a wary look after figuring out what he wanted to say. "Kaizi…" the phoenix knew Tala was about to say something he didn't want to hear. "Strippers aren't stupid, Kai. You could have been lying about all that stuff just to get in her pants. Virgins don't just throw away something they worked so hard to keep to a total stranger. And… you can't get someone pregnant by kissing them, I know that at least."

Kai felt his eyes watering up as he lowered himself down onto Tala. "But we were naked. Both of us."

Tala sighed. "Kai… listen to me." He felt Kai tense on top of him. Kai's head resting on Tala's shoulder. "By what you were saying she probably knew that you were inexperienced and knew close to nothing about sex or love. For all we know, Rala probably is pregnant… from some other guy and wanted to sleep with you so then you would think it was yours. I'm sure that you mentioned the mansion when you were telling her about yourself and…"

"No." a sob shook the duel haired boy's body and he found total logic in what Tala was saying.

"Listen Kai." His best friend spoke softly. "She could be using you Kai…" At those words Kai broke down for what seemed like the millionth time that week. He wanted love so bad. Tala's love was great, he loved Tala with all his heart. But he wanted something different…

"No!" he wrapped his arms around his best friend. "What if you're wrong!? Can't you be wrong?" Kai lifted his head to see Tala's sorrowful face.

"I could be. I mean, I don't know to much about love, sex and pregnancy myself." At those words, Kai jumped back into sitting position, his face still puffy and red. "Rala seems like a nice girl." He tried to smile for Kai. "But like Bryan is always telling us, you got to watch those quiet ones." They both chuckled a little.

The door opening took them both by surprise. Voltaire appeared at the entrance with a confused look on his face, but it quickly turned into apathy. "Two beautiful _girls_ are waiting for you down stairs." He eyed them suspiciously before shaking his head and closing the door.

"Mariah." Tala couldn't hold back his smile.

"Tala." Kai whined. "How are we going to figure out if Rala is genuine or not?" Both boys stood still in deep thought. Tala seriously wanted to help Kai, but at the same time, he wanted to be with Mariah too. "I have an idea!" Kai suddenly exclaimed. The redhead sighed, already knowing he was not about to like this.

**Ten minutes and a plan later…**

Tala found Kai's plan to be every bit of embarrassing and crazy that he had expected. But being the devoted best friend that he was, he agreed to go along with it. Then they began to get changed for there next adventure of the evening.

"Tala, I can't help it. I try not to like her, but I just can't help wanting you to be wrong." The phoenix admitted, pulling on his pants.

The blue-eyed teen smiled. "That's because you like her, Kai. It's only natural for you to want me to be wrong." He said, straitening up his plain black shirt.

"Yeah… I really do like, Rala." Then they both froze, realization smacking them both in the face. The next thing Kai knew a pillow hit his head at full force.

"Kai, you idiot!" Tala yelled. They had both just realized that Kai's little plan and a HUGE flaw in it. "The only thing your _plan_ will prove is how big of a freak **MY TWIN SISTER** is!" Kai then grabbed the pillow, laughing so hard he could barely breath, and tackled the redhead on his bed.

"It's your job to just say no!" Kai laughed as he and Tala wrestled on the huge bed. Just when Tala would get Kai on the bottom he would do some tricky move to get back on top. But Tala was more slender than the other male. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it. He always lost him and Kai's wrestling matches… even on Kai's bad days. Heaven forbid the young Ivanov would actually have to fight one day.

"You know I'm not good at saying no!" the redhead continued to laugh even though Kai had him pinned down yet again. Kai would make some perverted joke out of what Tala had just said, but he was too busy trying to breath.

Kai chuckled while hovering over his best friend. "Mariah is so gonna rule you in bed." Tala rolled his eyes before stealing a quick kiss on the lips from Kai, which was followed by a couple longer ones. The girls waiting down stairs were now long forgotten by the two making out on the bed. (A/N: Still totally not yoai. I'm a good border-liner. Hehe.) They did this every once in a while on no certain occasion. It helps them focus more on each other and less on whatever problems they are having at the moment.

It was all in the name of fun and friendship to them and they both knew that.

**With The Girls**

"Oh man! I have never been in any house like this. I can't believe my brother has been living here!" Rala and Mariah lounged around on the sofas in the front room on the mansion. They got up to look around a few minutes ago, but now they were just chillin'.

"Yeah, I remember the first time Tala brought me here. And by brought, I mean lead. And by lead, I mean, I followed him without him knowing." She giggled to herself.

Rala chuckled too. "Why do you have a tracking device on him, anyway?" she asked.

"It was just an experiment I had. I wanted to test it out, and who better to test it out on than my boyfriend?" she grinned widely.

"How'd you get it on him?" the female redhead asked.

Mariah shrugged. "We were foolin' around one day and I put it near the only place no one but me should be touching." Both girl burst into fits of laughter. Mariah rarely had girl talk with anybody except her mother, but for some reason Rala seemed like a cool person to talk to. The pinkette guessed it was her soft demeanor.

After calming down, Rala un-expectantly asked, "So spill, how's the sex?"

If Mariah were drinking something at the moment, it would have been all over the floor. "Whoa! That caught me off guard!" she laughed some more before answering, "Well… we never… actually, did it. We just play around… in bed and… other places."

Rala gapped at her friend. "Are you serious! Me and Kai were gonna do it earlier today, but he had to go do something." She rolled her eyes nonchalantly.

"Whoa. Didn't you just meet him?" Mariah raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" she sighed. "But I already love him." then her expression turned somber. Groaning, she confessed, "I don't know what I'm gonna do about Paris. I want to stay with my brother and mother. I can't stand to be away from my family again. And I really wanna know Tala, too, but I don't think he's gonna wanna come." She took another quick look around the mansion. "He has all this! I wouldn't wanna leave either."

"Yeah, but after I tell him that my parents are making me go to a different school… in Japan, he might change his mind." The pinkette frowned.

Rala's frown deepened. "Dang! We're all leaving. Thank God for Myspace!" she chuckled, lightening her mood.

"Tala's gonna be devastated. I'm gonna miss him so much." Unfortunately Mariah's mood couldn't be lifted.

Then Rala had another idea. "You know what! That could actually work. Tala's already stressing over whether or not he should go, and if you tell him that you're leaving then he might not feel so bad about it! And to make it even better for both of you, before you leave him… you can do a little more than just fool around… if you know what I mean. It could be a little goodbye present." The redhead smiled slyly at her plan.

Mariah thought about it. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She couldn't change her parents mind about making her leave, it wasn't her fault. So, then Tala won't feel so bad about going with his family. It was a perfect idea. She also had to admit to herself that the idea of giving Tala his "goodbye present" was titillating. She smiled.

"I like the way you think." The neko-jin smiled. "Now, let's go see what these boys are up to." They both agreed and got up.

Walking up the stairs, Mariah still felt a bit worried about telling Tala the big news. However, her fears completely vanished when she opened the door to the Russian's bedroom. The sight of Kai on top of her boyfriend was definitely a mind blower. (Jash: Was 'blow' really a good word for this situation?) The females were utterly shocked and at the moment, neither could quite grasp the emotion they were feeling… except confusion.

After about three minutes of watching this making-out session in utter interest, Mariah cleared her throat making her boy friend nearly push his best friend off the bed.

Both males looked at the two females who were standing in aw and amusement at the door. "Um… how long have you two been standing there?" Tala asked slowly.

"Long enough to question both of your sexualities." The pinkette said with a raised eyebrow.

"Rala!" the two-toned haired teen exclaimed, but after seeing his girlfriend's completely unenthused expression he added, "I can totally explain this!" Both females turned their attention to him. Rala wasn't glaring, but had a very calm, intimidating look on her face. "But you know what? Tala could explain it even better."

The redhead glared at his best friend for the millionth time. "Um…"

* * *

Now this was a long chapter! Funny thing is, I already wrote the beginning of the next chapter, but I decided to cut it off here. Keep the suspense. LOL.

Please review!


	19. Tonight

Yes! People still love the fic! I am very happy with my reviews. Thank you, panel. I might not be able to update a lot because I have school. And not only that… but a life, too.

OMG! I can't believe **Me, Myself and Kai** beat **Babies Change EVERYTHING! **by two reviews! Woo! These are my top stories. Thanks reviewers!

* * *

The redhead gaped at his best friend yet again. Then he looked back at the anticipating young women, thinking up something to say. "Um…" That word is always good for staling. It should always be followed up by a long, "Uh…" Then a little awkward silence before you finally come up with a flimsy, hair brained excuse explaining to your girlfriend why you (male) and your (male) best friend were making out with him on top of you.

And sometimes, you can't quite come up with a good and believable lie, so, why not tell the truth?! "We're friends. Um… best friends!" He shrugged. "…Best friends make-out." He smiled, hoping Mariah would buy it. So far… not so good.

The suspicious pinkette was about to make a statement, but Rala had beat her to it, "I think it's hot!" she piped, innocently clasping her hands in front of her. This brought a smile to Kai's face. He immediately skipped to his girlfriend's side.

"Well… I guess we'll see you two later!" Kai saluted and was about to walk out the door with Rala on his arm, but Tala roughly grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Jeez Kai, did you forget everything we just talked about!?" he demanded.

"Um…" and upon remembering, he waved his hand in as a dismissing gesture. "Forget about it!" the bluenette attempted a New York accent and proceeded to walk out the door with Rala, leaving a stomped Tala behind.

The redhead shook his head and let out a frustrated, muffled scream. He then rested his face in his hands. This made his nearly forgotten girlfriend come sit next to him on the bed. He jumped a little when she touched his arm.

_Forgot she was here._ He thought, slightly embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" golden eyes showed deep concern.

Tala sighed. "Rala. I don't trust her with Kai." He snorted, almost chuckled. "I don't trust Kai with her!" He admitted to himself as well as the attentive pinkette next to him. "I've always wanted to meet my family and now they give me the _wonderful_ choice of staying here or leaving everything I know and love to go to Paris with them." He said sarcastically. He shook his head.

"I think you should go!" she smiled at him brightly, shocking Tala. "I mean, you've been to high school in Russia. Think of all the new experiences there will be in France!" For some reason the redhead had a funny feeling in his stomach about the way Mariah was acting. "This is a once in a life time opportunity anyway." She encouraged.

The confused male watched his girlfriend's expression closely and for a long time. "Are—are you serious?" he asked. "What about us?"

"Well…" she slowly stood up and faced the closet, making Tala feel even more uncomfortable. "I-I'm going to a different school this year." She smiled weakly.

"What!? Where? I'll come with you!"

"Um… back in Japan…" she noticed Tala's defeated look and added, "It's because I acted so out of control last year," Tala had a short flashback of the bad girl he had learned to love the previous year. "But my mom says if I have good grades and my behavior is acceptable the first quarter, I can come back here and finish!" she ended excitedly. "I think it's just another trick to get me to visit my dad, but-" she then turned to face him.

"Why are you just now telling me this!?" the redhead yelled, standing to his feet.

"I thought- I thought if I told you before then you wouldn't go out with me." She admitted.

"Great! So why not tell me in the middle of all my other problems!?" sarcasm covered his voice as he threw up his hands. For a moment, he didn't care if he hurt Mariah or not… He was so confused, he just wanted to say everything he felt.

Mariah hung her head. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "Tala, please don't be mad at me." She walked up to him and took his hands in hers. Tala sighed. Now what was he suppose to do? His life seemed to be spiraling downward right in front of him. He felt so helpless and small.

Tala comfortingly wined his arms around Mariah's waist in a soothing embrace. They both needed it. They stayed like this for a while. This was a perfect moment for both of them to let their emotions out in tears, but neither of them did. Mariah never seemed to cry, for some reason it reminded the redhead of Kai, whom is always crying. But who says girls can't be tough? "When are you leaving?" he finally asked.

She gulped. "The week before school starts." She reluctantly answered.

Tala knew it had to be sometime soon or else she wouldn't be telling him now, so he tried to keep from becoming noticeable tense when she told him. "Next week." He nodded.

"Yeah." She muttered. The pinkette had thought long and hard about the subject that she was about to bring up. She even had to question whether she really loved Tala or not, and if she really knew what love was. She took a deep breath. Did she really, really love Tala?…

… Only time can _truly_ tell…

"… I was thinking… since I'm leaving so soon-" she paused, making Tala pull back a little to see her face. She was blushing, which made him curious. "Um… we could…" Tala felt the blood drain from his face as he had an idea of what she was going to say, and it scared the mess out of him. He had just realized that for the past few days he had been feeling totally comfortable with Mariah. He was wondering if what she was about to say would change that. "For the first time… make love." She smiled at him. Now, he felt a wave of intense discomfort wash over him.

His chest tightened and his mouth went dry. _Make love? As in… sex? Oh. My. God._

The pinkette chuckled when she saw Tala's predictable nervous reaction. "It's o.k., you don't have to answer now." She kissed him on the cheek and was about to lead him out the door, when he pulled her back.

"You're leaving next week Monday." Mariah nodded in confirmation. "I can tell Kai to buy me some plane tickets to Paris for a later date…" then he nervously looked down at his hand. "And… if you really want to… we could spend Saturday night together… and all of Sunday and then Sunday night." The blush was in full force on his face. It took all both of his balls to say what he had just said. He held his breath, waiting for Mariah's reaction. He was afraid of what she would do or say, but when he felt her warm body on his and her lips on his lips, he felt like moving that date up to tonight!

Reluctantly Mariah parted from her titillating kiss and stood to look at Tala mischievously. "You ah… wanna practice now?" she purred with one of her hands still in his.

Tala was so glad this wasn't his first erection. He didn't feel the need to run off and tell Kai every detail about it. However, he did have to postpone it for a few seconds. "Um… yeah, but not in here." Kai and Tala bedroom was sacred to them. It would be disrespectful to Kai for them to do anything sexual in the place Kai and Tala usually share their inner most secrets and mess around in. Mariah understood this, and allowed Tala to lead her out and hopefully to another room.

**With Kai and Rala**

Rala had just got of the phone with her mother. They weren't going to come meet Tala and Kai tonight because it was too late and they needed rest. Rala was just fine with this, she needed more time to devote to Kai. Her emotions were running deep, but she still needed to question them.

"So… you're still leaving in, now, two days?" Kai confirmed looking at the cable box time in their t.v. room.

Rala made an unsure face and looked off to the side. There was a long pause even though she knew exactly what she was about to say. "I… don't know anymore." This brought a small smile to Kai's face. Before then, as far as he knew, she was **definitely** leaving for Paris. "It's just… I'm really questioning my feeling for you Kai. I don't know whether I'm just being a stupid, emotional, naïve stripper or if these feelings are really real. And the only way to find out, is to spend more time with you."

Kai didn't know what to tell her. So, he said the first thing that came to his head. "Well… we have to think about the baby."

This made the female redhead tilt her head to the side. "Kai… you know I'm not really pregnant, right?"

Kai gave a confused look. "Huh?" That was her proof that the phoenix was actually serious.

"When did I tell you that?!" she chuckled a little.

"When we were about to… you know. I thought that sense we were naked and stuff that made the baby mine." The two toned haired male was so confused, Rala didn't even know where to start.

"Um… Kai…" she chuckled a little again. "Do you…" She almost felt stupid for asking him this, but a big part of her was urging her to. "Do you know how to make a baby?" Suddenly, she got the feeling she was talking to a four-year-old.

"Um…" the bluenette looked down. Sex was definitely a gray area in Kai's brain. This is because Voltaire not only doesn't talk to him about it, but goes to great lengths to make sure he doesn't find out about it. Like, all the channels that show anything more than a PG rated movie, is blocked. The elder Hiwatari even let's Kai skip school on the days of any kind of sex education and has the teachers notify him of everyone. He even went as far as paying most of Kai's friends so they wouldn't talk about it to him, but Bryan always breaks that rule and Mariah has told Tala many things as well. But still in result, the bluenette must say, "No."

Rala looked at him in utter disbelief. A 16-year-old male who does not know how to make a baby. Wow… She didn't know whether to explain it to him verbally or break out the hand puppets. Kai Hiwatari was definitely the most interesting guy she had ever met. Then she got another idea…

She slowly crept over to Kai's side of the sofa with a naughty smirk on her glossy lips. The low cut cotton brown shirt she was wearing exposed an extreme amount of cleavage, Kai didn't know if it was ok for him to look or not! He chose… not. For some reason, he didn't realize what she was going to do until after she had taken off his shirt and started on his pants.

"Wait, Rala!" He started to ease up from his slouching position on the couch. "I can't-" before he could even struggle to think of a reason why he couldn't do what she was about to make him do, she put one finger to his lips and made a shushing noise.

"Sh… don't worry. I've got everything under control." She whispered in a seductive voice that almost made Kai actually want have sex with her. Wow! The power of the voice.

_I can't do this! I can't do this! I have my whole life ahead of me! What happened to waiting until marriage, what happened to waiting till I was ready! Am I ready? No._ Rala then had taken off her shirt and Kai was sure of his decision. "Hey Rala, isn't this called… um… rape?" his heart was pounding wildly.

This made the redhead freeze in her place. "Excuse me." She sat back of Kai's bare legs and stared at him with fierceness in her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Kai gulped, sensing impending hostility between them. "I… I…" he felt his breath getting caught in his throat. Then, slowly shaking his head, he slid his legs from under his best friends twin and said, "I… seriously have to tell Tala something!"

"Oh no! Not this again. Are you going to do this every time we're about to get it on!?" a now, pissed Rala stood up to get a good look at Kai's face.

"Um… best friend rule! Before having sex… I must tell Tala…. This rule is like the granddaddy of all rules. Um… You can't break it." He gave a weak smile.

Rala raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her perfect, bare breasts. "Oh really?" Kai nodded. Then she took out her cell phone. "O.k., call him." she challenged.

Kai's eyes widened. He forgot everyone had one of those all the time. Then another lie came to his head. "Well, the rule clearly states that I must tell him in person." He paused and looked down at his legs. "I'm mean, this is my virginity we're talking about here." He started to put on his clothes. "You can't just say it over the phone, it's a super personal matter." The female redhead gave him a look of disbelief while Kai stumbled out the door.

She sat there for a while and thought seriously on whether she really wanted this guy or not. Maybe Kai was just a little too inexperienced for her. Maybe she should just go to Paris and screw this whole relationship. She pondered over this for a while before deciding that she did like Kai. He was just going to need some training is all. So instead of getting upset, she put on a smile and her clothes and set off to find the bluenette, which was easier than she expected.

The phoenix was in the front room on the sofa with his head in his hands. She walked up to him slowly, wondering if he knew she was there. "Kai…" she called, before sitting down beside him. "What's wrong Big Boy?" she rubbed his back comfortingly. He just shook his head. Rala sighed. "Is it Tala?" Kai nodded. "Did he do something to you?" Kai shook his head. "Did he say something to you?" he shook his head yet again. "Tell me what's wrong."

The bluenette sighed. _What could it hurt?_ He thought. "I can't find Tala." His voice let her know that he had been crying. That's probably why he had his face in his hands. "I called him like fifty times, no exaggeration, and I texted him too. He didn't pick up…" he looked at her, "He always picks up."

Kai didn't understand why, but Rala smiled. "Oh… Big Boy," she said in a soothing way. "Don't you remember? He was with his _girlfriend_. _Maybe_ Mariah had something planned for them." She raised her eyebrows up and down.

Kai's eyes got wide. "No! He wouldn't have! Not without telling me!" he was suddenly angry. "Why would you say that?!" he demanded.

"Because… I'm a girl, Mariah's a girl, girls talk." She smirked, wondering why Kai was so upset. She was happy for her friends when they lost their virginity… to someone they loved of course.

"_Her._" Kai hissed. "I knew letting Tala date her was a bad decision!"

"And also a decision that shouldn't have been yours. Plus, we don't even know if that what they're doing. They could just be practicing… which is what we could do too." She touched Kai's arm, only for him to snatch it away quickly.

"I have to go find him before he makes a mistake!" Tala's best friend announced, taking out his cell phone and trying to call the redhead again. "Even if it takes me all night!"

Rala sighed, frustrated with her boyfriend whom she loved so much. It was 4: 34 a.m. and he was still going strong. She rolled her eyes and decided to relax on the sofa while Kai went off on his hopeless search.

**In a forgotten room in the mansion…**

Moonlight spilled in the room from the balcony window on two lovers. Passion between the sheets paid no head to the vibrating touch-screen phone on the dresser beside the bed. It probably would not be noticed until the morning…

* * *

Well, there you go. Hope you like it. How did you like the ending? I didn't want to give it away, but I just had to write it. Hehehe...

The end is soon to come. I'm going to end it next chapter, I think. Please review!


	20. No Protection!

I'm sorry you guys. I've been on a major writer melt down lately.

I'm so sorry fanfiction! I should have never left you! I seriously think this website helps and contributes to your writing skills. So, back here I go! ^_^

Oh yeah, and the purpose of Tala and Mariah little scene is NOT to make anyone even the slightest bit aroused. This is why it is **not **a lemon chapter…. By the way, anyone knows why we call it "lemon"? Idk, just wondering.

**WARNING:** There is talk of "abortion" near the end of the chapter, if reading something even minutely related to the subject will cause a melt down, I suggest you don't read it. I don't want to make anyone feel bad.

* * *

Two lithe bodies lay motionlessly entangled in the white bed sheets that may not be all that white in a few areas after their previous activities. Eyes dropping and clouded with love drunkenness, they gazed up at the ceiling. Their hands clasped into the other's as a gesture of total self-relinquish. The sound of soft, wistful breathing reigned in the spacious living area, only to be interrupted by a frequent "I love you" from either of the two.

We all already know what Tala was doing at this time; his favorite activity. (A/N: If you can remember. –rolls eyes at self-)

**Flashback**

A rigid frame lay next to the soft curvy body of his nervous girlfriend. Her composure always seemed managed and kept at a perfect balance, not wavering unless she willed it to do so. This was the first time he had seen the pinkette break a sweat over their relationship. Even though she wasn't sweating. As a matter of fact, if she were perspiring he wouldn't know because they were currently submersed in darkness.

It had taken a few tense and timid minutes for Mariah to convince the redhead to lie as closely as he was to her. After the initial excitement and arousal and ripping off of each other's clothes in a dark room, the realization of what was about to take place slapped Tala in the face… hard.

The Russian jumped like a fear stricken cat to the opposite side of the bedroom and folded into the fetal position. It took a mantra of courageous and soothing words from the sweet lips of Mariah to convince him that his man parts were not lower than her standards… and that he would not contract a flesh eating STD.

It comforted the redhead when he felt Mariah shifting with nerves, letting him know he wasn't alone in his uneasiness. Now they rested with their significant other only inches away from them. Tala was still a little off balanced, but ready to commence. "O.k. Tala." His girlfriend prompted, partly regaining her poise. "What do we do next?" she asked slowly, hoping her boyfriend got the gist of what was happening.

"Um… Wait, I know this." He said wracking his brain for the information he had attained back when he and Mariah _just played_ under the sheets. "I… put it in!" he yelled, excited about his assured answer, becoming at ease by recollecting past experiences.

"Put what in?"

Tala fell shyly quiet. "Mariah…" the bed moved beneath her as he shifted uncomfortably. "Don't make me say the word."

_Yes, he got it!_ The female felt her boyfriend should receive accolades for his retained information. But he would get **that **in some form soon enough. "Yes!" Tala could hear the smile in her voice and the feeling was reciprocated. "And where do you put it?"

Tala thought for another second. Mariah raised an unseen anticipating eyebrow. "Um…" The male chewed on his lip. "In the hole!" she could mentally see Tala holding up his index finger as if he had just discovered a genius philosophy.

"Good." She said in the same perky tone. "Now come here."

"Wait!" Tala halted her grasping palms before she could pull him to her. "You… want me to do it… now?" he gulped.

"Um. Yes." She confirmed in the duh-ish tone.

"Right now?"

"Tala, do you wanna do this or not?" Mariah retracted her arms and folded them over her bare breasts. He could practically see the disappointed pout on her face.

"Yes! I do. I really want to do this." He proclaimed. "I've always wanted to do this… L.T. wants us to do this."

"Who's L.T.?"

"Little Tala."

"…" The mental image of Tala gingerly petting "Little Tala" proofed into the pinkette's mind. She shook it away before the urge to laugh came about.

"O.k. 'Riah, we're ready now." He announce, finding it rude to exclude his… friend. Taking a little initiative, he scooted closer to Mariah. Tala groped clumsily around her body muttering "sorry" and "ops" every time he thought he touched a spot he wasn't supposed to (which was every where). After a couple seconds of awkward embarrassment, he shamefully admitted, "Riah…"

"Hm…" was her soft response.

"I can't find the hole."

Already knowing this from the time Tala began his little exploration, the pinkette giggled. Tala didn't know why, but that made Little Tala way happier. "I know." The pinkette chuckled teasingly. "We'll just turn on the light." Just as she clicked the button to turn on the side lamp, she saw her boyfriend's taut chest over her, preventing her hand from reaching the switch again, and flicking it back off.

"No!" he yelled.

"Sh…" she quieted him, having realized they we're the only one's in the mansion. God knows she had felt that way when they stumbled into the room kissing and touching. "Why?" she inquired.

"Because…" Tala hissed. Then, whispering as if he were about to reveal the secret combination to a nuclear bomb, he continued, "I'm naked."

Mariah sighed at Tala's ridiculous response. Many times she found his bashfulness adorably cute. Tonight, however, it strangely turned her on. Pulling the redhead down on her, they engaged in another passionate kiss, while she subtly and blindly turned on the lamp. It dimming lit the large formal looking room. She thought it was reserved for any important guests Voltaire had over at times, but ceased to ponder over it because thinking of Voltaire when she was about to get it on was just plain weird and unusual.

Abruptly, a laugh erupted in Tala's throat. Mariah pulled her head back to look at him. "What's so funny?" she asked, still appealing to all the redhead's senses.

He chuckled again. "You're naked, too." Mariah rolled her eyes and upon doing so, she saw a glint of an object behind Tala's original place.

"Tala," the male tilted his head in question. "Did you put a… _sword_ in the bed?"

"Yes!" he responded proudly, grinning ear to ear, "Bryan said when you have sex, you're supposed to use protection. So, I got this sword at the last minute and there's a grenade under your pillow."

Careful not to push her boyfriend onto the gleaming sharp blade, she moved her pillow. Sure enough, there was a small, brown grenade lying beneath the soft plush. Sighing in disbelief, she got up to remove the weapons from their bed space, earning another chuckle from the redhead. She stashed the objects of destruction into a closet, considering for a moment asking Tala where in the world he got them. But she resolved that she would ask him in the morning.

Apparently this little gap in their love making process made Tala feel more of an urge to continue… immediately. It could have also had something to do with Mariah gliding around in the room teasingly, in her birthday suit. Every sense in his body came alive, bristling and titillated. Finally, Tala was becoming more active in the game. Letting his hormones take over as soon as the pinkette hit the sheets, he shamelessly rubbed and squeezed all the parts of her body his strangely soft fingers brushed across. They rolled over, switching positions for a moment. Tala didn't complain about the exchange. Even though Mariah grind and slithered over him, he still felt like he was on top. Then another chuckle rose between their kiss.

A more breathless laugh this time, but Mariah still pulled away and eyed him curiously. "O.k. We've already established that I'm naked. What's funny now?" She still gazed at her giggly boyfriend.

His face was red and beaming with mischief. "They're… squishy." he laughed again, glancing down.

Shaking her head in amusing incredulity, Mariah muttered, "You fool." then initiated another prolonged lip lock, pressing Tala closer to her. The need to close the gap between them escalated as they latched on to the other, kissing fiercely. Both felt the emotion reciprocating. The redhead was aware of what time it was. He had one mission, the one mission in his life that ever really counted… (Excluding a couple of life threatening one's Kai forced him into). Tala needed to find the hole.

This time he broke the kiss, leaving his breathless angel with a questioning expression. Smoothly, he slipped Mariah back under him, and she allowed him knowing what he was thinking. Again, her body tensed as her stomached flip-flopped like a fish out of water and her heart pounded in her chest and throat. Scared golden eyes locked with confident sea blue orbs. Tala naturally sensed that he must be strong for Mariah at this time; he couldn't shrivel up in fear and innocence anymore. Testosterone taking over, he inhaled deeply and used the light to find the hole.

"I found it!" he smiled triumphantly. Staring down on Mariah's uncomfortable expression, he frowned.

"Yeah, you did." She said, vainly attempting a look of happiness. Realizing why his girlfriend wasn't exactly enjoying it as much as he wanted her too, he devoted all his ability to relax her. When he succeeded, boy did things heat up!

Somewhere in the middle of their excited "fight" to conquer the other, the redhead found something else amusing enough to giggle at.

_I'm not even going to ask. _Mariah thought to herself. And the night went on…

**End Flashback**

Finally, Tala turned to Mariah, having utilized his meditative period. The pinkette acknowledged her lover and his queried expression. "What is it, Love?" she asked, turning her body to rest an arm on his chest.

"What we did last night?" he began, a mischievous smirk forming on his face as he took a brief moment to reflect.

"Go on." The female prompted, nuzzling into the crook of his warm neck.

"And we did do a lot!" he elaborated biting his lip in attempt not to rush outside on the balcony in all his bare glory and shout from the top of his lungs, "I just had sex for the first time and I feel like a man!"

"Yes we did." The neko-jin agreed with a slight nod, too blissful to care what inane road this was leading down.

"So, anywhere in ALL of that…" Mariah removed her face from his neck to survey his face. "Was there a tampon involved?" Her gentle smile faltered a bit upon hearing the ignorance escaping her boyfriend's warm, kissable lips.

"Tala," the females started. He watched her, hopeful for his desired answers. "How bout we put those lips to better use."

Feeling shot down, but happy with the outcome, Tala was preparing himself to engage in another long make-out session to end all make-out sessions. Then he heard a deeper toned, and way less pleasurable voice say,

"I have scaled this gigantic mansion, ran through every stretching hallway, climbed the roughest trees, bounce on the looses trampolines and even sat through 4-hours of _America's Best Dance Crew_re-runs looking for you!" Of course this was an over exaggerating, really he had only spent about 5 minutes trying to locate the other male… in their bedroom. Then he proceeded to cry because he couldn't find him. "Just to find you cuddled up with this pink panther wanna-be!" Tala turned in the bed to face in angry best friend standing in the doorway with a rueful, Rala meekly standing behind him.

The male in the bed blinked blankly for a couple seconds. "Kai, get out!" Tala finally yelled, all romantic emotions going to the dogs. Mariah's sighed, mentally scolding herself for forgetting to lock the door.

The bluenette snorted in haughty disbelief. "I spend all night searching your ass, and you dare tell me to 'get out' of the room I designated for you!" Kai yelled outraged, stepping further inside. Luckily, Mariah was already hidden under the sheets.

"Kai, if I have to get my naked ass out of this bed because you won't f-cking march yourself out, I'm going to hail all the rage in my body and beat you to a bloody mess in the nude!"

"Ew… you're naked?" Kai said in disgust, licking out his tongue. "Why are you naked in the bed with…" he trailed off, recalling the informative conversation he and Rala had that night. "Oh…" he hesitated for a few more seconds. "Eeeeeeeeewwwwwww! You had –wait what was that word- Oh yeah! You had sex!… With Mariah! In the mansion! Which I was sleeping in at the time."

"I thought you were looking for me all night." Tala, now sitting up, said dryly.

"I mean… um…" the phoenix then cast his gaze to the floor before averting it back to Tala with an answer. "It's like my grandfather always tells us "If you don't get sleep, sleep'll get you"."

Three pairs of eyes stared at the bluenette, wondering where his thought process would lead him next. They got their answer when his eyes widened in shocking realization, "You had sex! You're trying to replace me!" he accused.

This time, a flushing pink Tala jumped out of the bed, fists clenched in anger. "Whoa!" Rala shielded her eyes from the likes of her twin brother's… areas. She decided it would be best if she withdrew herself from this messy equation. So, she went back down stairs to occupy her time in front of the flat screen t.v. in the room she and Kai had slept in.

As if noticing he was naked for the first time, Tala grabbed a soft, full pillow to cover himself. "Tala get your pink butt out of my face!" not waiting for her boyfriend's reaction, the pinkette semi-angrily wrapped the top sheet around her and made her exit into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Tala watched regretfully after his annoyed lover's retreating form. "Now look what you did!" he yelled, waving his free hand in the air.

"Look what I did? Look what you did! You're trying to replace me!" the phoenix folded his arms over his chest. They heard Mariah trashing around in outrage, and glanced at the bathroom door expecting it to come crashing down at any second.

After hearing the water turn on, the boys relaxed. Sighing, Tala dared himself to ask, "Kai, what are you talking about?"

"You're trying to replace me with the baby!" Kai claimed earning a raised eyebrow from Tala.

"What baby?" Tala asked curiously, ensnared in Kai's accusation having no one to argue otherwise.

Kai let his arm muscles go limp, gesturing that Tala should know the effects of his own actions. "The baby that your girlfriend is now carrying!" he yelled hysterically. "I don't see any nine millimeters, no grenades, no daggers, nunchaku, no bulldozers! Tala," he whined. "It doesn't seem like you used any protection at all! And you know what Bryan said would _happen _if you didn't, right?"

No, Tala didn't remember what the lavender haired elder warned would happen. He only knew that he should use protection… which Mariah threw out of the bed. Blue orbs now full of fear, Tala strode closer to his best friend, latching onto his every syllable of every word. "No. W-what would happen?" he stuttered.

"SHE'S PREGNANT!" the other teen shouted, making Tala jump in surprise. "Bryan said if you don't use protection when you have sex, the girl will get pregnant." Kai explained as if he was bestowing upon Tala the keys of life's secrets.

"No." he gasped, his hands flying to his mouth in fearful regret. "I- I tried to tell her, but she said I was going about it the wrong way. She said we needed a condom!"

"What's a condom?" the bluenette gave him a blank stare.

"I don't know. Some stupid circle rubber thingy, not good for protection at all." Tala furrowed his eyebrows. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl…"

After pondering over Tala's words, Kai concluded, "You know what you have to do, right?"

"What?" Tala came closers to his best friend, leaning his ear in.

Then Kai's lips uttered one word. The solution to Tala's dilemma that he accidentally brought upon himself. And that word was, "Abortion."

Tala recoiled physically. "No! Not that! Anything but that!"

Kai pretentiously let out a breath of air, feeling superior. "Tala," he questioned. "Do you even know what an abortion _is_?"

"Um…" for a second Tala pretended to actually be attempting to recollect something he knew nothing about. He wiggled his bare toes and pursed his lips in false contemplation. "No." he admitted.

Proud that he had discovered this fact all on his own, Kai thought he would prolong the suspense of his self-found information. "You might want to sit down for this." He gestured to the bed. Both boys took a seat on the place where Tala previously had his first time. But that fact was long forgotten.

Then he began, "It's kindergarten really, Tala. Use you're syllables. Ab-or-tion. Ab or shun." Kai paused dramatically for the redhead to give his a questioning look. "Talaver, let me _learn _you a few things about pregnancy. When a girl is pregnant, her stomach gets really big, right?" Tala nodded, scooting closer to Kai. "And what do people do when their stomach gets big? They workout. So if she works out a lot, then her stomach won't get big. Therefore, the baby won't appear. Thus, the "ab"." He finished, feeling high and mighty in his knowledge.

"Oooooooh…" Tala dwelled on this for a moment, then inquired. "What about the "ortion"?"

A grin spread across his best friends face. "I'm glad you asked, my dear Tala." He said, petting Tala's red hair much to the other Russian dislike. A slick substance came off on the bluenette's hand. "What the heck is this?" he asked.

Tala gave him sly look. "You **don't **want to know." He assured his curious friend, whom gave him a disgusted frown in return. "But back to "ortion"."

Eager to switch the subject, Kai continued, "Oh yeah! Either "ab" or "shun"." He responded feeling happy again. "Tala, you're my best friend, we're married and all, but if you ever ignored me I would be very sad. Wouldn't you be sad if I ignored you?" The redhead nodded. "And I would eventually not want to hang around you anymore. Would you want to hang around me if I pretended you didn't exist?" Tala shook his head. "Ok, so if you _shun _the baby, then it will eventually feel unwanted and disappear before it is even born. You see? Ab-or-tion."

Suddenly finding logic in everything his best friend was saying, Tala's fear abated and vanished. "Oh yeah! I get it." He proclaimed, excited in his new ray of hope.

Kai place his hands on both of Tala's shoulders right when the shower in the bathroom went off. "O.k. you start trying to make Mariah do crunches, and watch some t.v. Sooner or later a commercial for some ridiculous fat burning workout contraption should pop up. Suggest it to her, but don't tell her why. I will be back with the solution to ALL of your problems." With that quickly said and a peck on the cheek, the crimson-eyed teen was on his way out the room door. "Don't worry Tala, I won't let some baby steal you away from me!" Then he continued to shout, "Abortion!" loudly and repeatedly while skipping down the hall.

* * *

Well, there it is. Yeah, I know, my writing skills have decreased since I left. But that's why I came back. I'm working on it. This was supposed to be the last chapter, but this idea came up, so the story will go a little longer than planned.

By the way, I am well aware that the exclamation point next to the question mark is not grammatically correct. I just like it because I expresses excitement and question all in one, it's a punctuation mark all its own.... I'm just weird like that.

Please, please, please review!


	21. Mariah's A Pro!

So… updating…. I decided to do it again. Hope you like the chapter! ^_^

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

"Tala," Mariah purred, inclining her head towards her beloved boyfriend whom was shielding himself with an arm and a raised leg. "For the last time… I… am not… PREGNANT!" her face flushed from committing herself so fully to convince him of that fact. Also, the redhead wanted to cling to the thought that doing crunches would make the baby go away.

"That's it Mariah." The words were meek and cautious. "Just keep telling it that it doesn't exist." Tala instructed, daring himself to make a backward motion. He didn't know all the details like the "all-knowing Kai" did, but Tala was confident if he did what his best friend told him to do before he vanished into the hallway, everything would be all right.

"No, Tala! THERE IS NO BABY!"

"Oh, you want me to play along, too?" he asked, oblivious to the reality that there actually was no child forming in his girlfriend's belly. "Ok, the baby in your stomach does not exist." He agreed falsely, sounding like a machine.

"Taaaaaalllllaaaa!" A screeching sound like that of a teakettle emitted from Mariah's throat. Surely she would yank out a patch of pink from her scalp before this conversation was done. Why did Tala have to be so convicted to believe everything he was told? By the way things were going she'd have better luck just agreeing with him. The high-pitch screech continued to whistle through the bedroom as Mariah thought.

No, she wouldn't even pretend to get an "abortion". No matter how fake it was, it just didn't feel right. She was always a vegetable eating, tree-hugging, fake leather wearing kinda girl. Abortion was yet another thing she considered unthinkable, but since the boy really didn't have a clear understanding of it –as matter of fact he had none at all-, she wouldn't kill him for suggesting it.

They both turned their head at the sound of the door clicking open. Rala appeared with a dejected Kai behind her clutching on to her waist like a little kid grabs a floaty in the pool.

"Tala," she said solemnly, sobering the previously bickering two. "Mother and Flare are in the front room. It's time to leave." She calmly removed Kai's encircling arms from her waist, but not without the bluenette struggling a bit. Availing, she trudged to the front room with Kai close behind. Tala and Mariah followed after, not knowing what to say.

With his previous activities, he had forgotten all about the proposition his mother had set before him. He hadn't even contemplated leaving Russia since that day his mother inquired about it. Great… now he had to make a rush decision.

The stairs leading into the front room seemed shorter than usual, he was facing his mother way too soon.

There she was, looking so small against the massive front room he had learned to love, and sometimes, not be afraid to destroy. Her hands were innocently clasped in front of her, and her smile seemed to brighten her surroundings. She wore a yellow button down top and a tan shirt, contributing to her "little church girl" aura. Why did his mom have to look so cute?!

"Are you guys ready to go?" she asked with a smile to sway one thousand hearts.

_So this is how she makes her money…_ Kai thought, thinking the same as Tala and probably Mariah, a bit annoyed that he couldn't even hate her that much for trying to take away his Tala. Key words: that much.

Her big blue eyes were fixed on her long lost son whom she adored since the moment he was born. Kai turned his attention back to Rala, whom had already taken her position beside her brother, Flare.

"Rala…" he whined. "Last night you said you didn't know if you wanted to go yet." The female redhead walked up and put her palm to her unofficial boyfriend's cheek.

"Sorry, Big Boy." She made a circular calming motion with her thumb. "Last night was a test… one you didn't pass."

The phoenix's eyes widened with shock and confusion. "W-what do you mean I failed? What did I do worng?!"

Rala inhaled deeply before stating her reasons. "Well… Kai, I'm a stripper-"

"I know that." He cut her off.

"And," she continued as if he had said nothing. "strippers have this special need that you," she lifted her other hand to cup his bare cheek so they were staring into each other's eyes fully "can't possible meet. I don't even think you know how to meet them."

"What are you saying, Rala? I don't understand." he asked feeling her warm soft hands slide from his person.

"Kai," she held her breath putting on a stern and determined face expression. "I'm a sex addict."

Mariah and Tala mirrored Kai's surprised look. This was something none of them were expecting to hear. The baffled bluenette mentally kicked himself. Of course she is! Why was she always trying to jump him when they were alone? After stamping the word stupid into his cerebral a couple more times, Kai took her hand.

"Well, I could go to Paris with you. We could get to know each other more and Tala can…" he trailed of at the sight of Rala shaking her head staring at her feet. "Why not?"

"Obviously you don't love me enough-"

"Love you enough?" Tala had had enough of this pathetic guilt-trip scene. Why should Kai have to feel bad about not giving his purity to a girl he's only known for a couple days? "Rala, what you're trying to do is wrong! Kai should not feel bad about not having sex with a stripper. And apparently you're the one who doesn't love him enough. If you really cared about him you'd be willing to wait until he was ready and not try to attack him every chance you got." No one, not even his family, was going to walk all over his best friend, not if he could help it.

Rala was taken aback by her brother's harsh accusations and back away from Kai. Her mind was blank for a second before the words fully set in and her mouth twisted to a frown. "What do you know about me? You have no clue how I feel. No idea what I've been through!"

"I know that you have no problem taking an innocent boy's-," now what didn't Mariah say that word was again? "Oh yeah! Virginity! And to me, that displays bad character."

"Shut up, you know nothing about me! I do love Kai!" Sincerity was written all over her face and in her tone, which confused Tala but all the same made him feel bad. "Because," she turned away from Tala and back to her almost-lover. "He reminds me of all the things I was robbed of in my childhood. Fun, excitement, joy, free-will, innocence… he's so innocent." The last part was barely a whisper, closer to a thought.

Tala let it all sink into his conscience. It was apparent that out of all his siblings he came out the best. No matter how much complaining he may do concerning Kai's adventures, he wouldn't trade his position for anything in the world. Guilt settled over him. He never once thought about his family's past, about what they had been through in order to become strippers. But still…

"So… you thought you'd take his innocence away from him?" he questioned softly.

Rala looked away. She wasn't saying what she did was not wrong. She just hoped both Tala and Kai could forgive her one day.

"It's ok, Rala." Finally, the subject of the conversation spoke. "There's no way my grandfather would let me go to Paris anyway." He sighed longingly, missing the idea of them together already. He stepped up and kissed her one last time on the cheek before they both took a step back.

"Aw… I really hate to tear relationships apart." They all looked to see a near tearful Jou. Tala's family was so weird. "Nevertheless," she continued, all traces of her about to cry disappearing. "Tala, do you want to join us?"

This was it, the final curtain call. What if his family left and he'd never see them again? What if the plane crashed on the way? Or if one night while they're working a guy kidnaps and kills one of them? He'll never know what it's like to be a family. All his life he had dreamed of them, wondering what they would be like. He even went as far as facing the most fearful thing a little child could dare, to attain more knowledge of them.

**Flashback**

A small Tala stood alone in a stretching hallway clutching his blanket for dear life. He had told his charge, Kai Hiwatari, that he was just taking a short break to go to the bathroom. The bluenette was engrossed in a LifeTime movie that wouldn't end for another 2 hours. He knew he wouldn't notice his absent presence as he had Dimes drive him across town to this cursed dreary place… Biovolt. The last place he had seen his parents.

It was a year and six months ago and Tala still remembered the scene vividly. The rain. His father's anger. The creepy gate. The old Cadillac. His mother… her tears…

Thus, he clung to the hope that maybe she missed him as much as he missed her. Kai seemed to become more abnormal by the day and he wanted to go home now. He was done playing. He missed his Mommy.

So there he stood, in front of the cold metal lab door about to confront the most repulsive thing he'd ever come into contact with. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. The mass combined with the freezing surface made his tiny knuckles throb in pain. The knock wasn't even that loud, he wondered if the purple haired nightmare would even hear it.

The heavy door swinging back was his answer. "Tala," the man looked down at the young boy. "What brings you back here?" The snaky tone he used always made the redhead shiver, but that wouldn't stop him from inquiring about his mother. "Please, come in." he welcomed before Tala could stutter a syllable.

Both sides of the room mirrored the other. Cylindrical glasses filled with bubbling water were set in a line leading to a lab table. They were big enough to put a big dog in… or… a small human.

Tala swallowed hard at the thought and stopped in his tracks. He wanted to know about his parents, but maybe he was going about this all wrong. The heavy thud signaling the closed metal door signified that it was too late. Tala's little heartbeat sped up increasingly.

"U-um…" his hands wrenching at the blanket. "M-mr. Boris, S-sir. I-I was wo-wo-wondering if you c-could," he gulped. "Tell me a-about m-my parents." Finally! Tala thought that sentence would draw on forever.

Boris turned to look at him from his position down the walkway. "Of course, Talaver."

The redhead eyes grew big and a huge smile showed across his face. "Really?"

"Sure." Maybe Boris wasn't so bad after all.

"Are they in Russia? Do they want me back? Do they have money to take care of me now? Are they still married?" he bombarded the man with questions that ran together.

"No." Boris answered simply. Tala heart was immediately crushed, but he still waited for the next part of the sentence that never came.

"No?" he furrowed his eyebrows as the man continued to walk to the lab table. "No, what?" He waited while Boris made his way to the lab table.

"After they left they went Australia and had another baby that go killed in a terrible fire along with the rest of their possessions, then were charged with child neglect so you're father went to jail and got the electric chair because he was supposed to watching the baby and your mom was so depressed she hanged herself." He said all in one breath. "Now, if I could just get you to lay down on this table for me-"

Just then the door opened revealing an angry Kai. "Can you believe this, Tala? Susan actually went back to that creep John! I can't believe this! Come with me to write angry reviews with mean words that we're not supposed to use to the writer! This is an outrage!"

Tala didn't know how Kai had found him or why the movie ended so quickly, but he was sure glad for it. He let the bluenette lead him out of the creepy room still ranting. If it weren't for Kai, he was sure that conversation would have ended badly for him. He knew everything Boris had said was a lie, but hey, it was worth a try…

… kinda…

…No it wasn't…

**End Flashback**

Tala would never risk his life like that AGAIN! But back to the matter at hand.

"Um… why does he look like that." Her heard his mom ask.

"Just give him a second or two, he has to do this before making any important decision. Voltaire sent him to a psychologist for it once, it didn't work." He heard Kai explain.

"Why?" Mariah asked.

"Because every time the doctor would ask him a question about his thoughts or the past, he'd just space out again." Kai answered.

Tala then came back to reality.

"He's back." Kai and Mariah chorused.

"Have you reached a decision?" Jou asked hopefully.

"Decision? Oh… Um… Give me a second. I have to think about this."

"Are you kidding me? You just thought about it for like five minutes!" Rala exclaimed.

Whoa, did his flashbacks really take that long. He hoped he'd never do it while driving. Mariah was just glad he didn't do it that night, mutely smiling to herself.

"I- I don't know." He answered becoming suddenly interested in his feet. "Can I have one more day?"

"I wish." Jou answered. "But we made a mistake with the time. We're actually leaving today." Everyone's head snapped in her direction. "Sorry. She apologized. Strippers are bad with time." She said sheepishly.

"Oh wait! I can't go today!" Tala perked up holding one finger in the air. "I have to be with Mariah while she gets an abortion!" he smiled.

"ABORTION!" the other Ivanov's exclaimed simultaneously.

Mariah's nose scrunched in sudden fury and Tala went to take Kai as a shield. "Tala, I'm not pregnant!"

"Whoa Tala, Mariah really good that this abortion thing! I almost believe it." Kai said to the redhead over his shoulder.

* * *

That was long. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Please review. ^_^


	22. Reproduction and the Forbidden Journal

You know what really pisses me off. I finish writing the whole chapter. The whole flippin' chapter! And then my flippin computer goes unresponsive and I have to exit out with NONE of the chapter save. That is soooo lame.

So, please enjoy this chapter doubly well.

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Ego by Beyonce.

* * *

The room was depressingly boring without his vibrant red hair to accentuate it. He felt more on edge than he usually did... more alone. The bluenette rested his elbow on the window seal, his cheek against his knuckles. A sigh escaped the young Hiwatari's lips as he watched the picturesque outside world.

The Ivanov's flight had departed for Paris that morning. The emotional goodbye's felt as thought it dragged on forever, but was so quick. Kai was so heartbroken by his ex-girlfriend (if she could be called that) leaving, he nearly dived to the ground to lock her feet in his grip so she couldn't walk.

Two hours later he decided that he was no really in love with Rala, and didn't care where she was on the planet. He had found a new love... again. Voltaire didn't like that the younger Hiwatari was seeing a stripper at all. A part of Kai thought he's rather him be gay! This fact made Kai want to run away with Rala and never return leaving only rumors of the scandal behind...

But it didn't matter.... because he never loved her. Just then his ears perked up to the click of an opening door. The bluenette turned from his window gazing to see,

"Tala!" Before the redhead could comprehend what was transpiring, he was knocked to the floor by the great weight force that was his best friend. Now straddling Tala, Kai leaned down and kissed his on the lips. "I missed you so much! Don't ever part from me again!"

The redhead furrowed his eyebrows, "Kai, I was only in the bathroom for ten minutes." Still his best friend proceeded to latch on to him as though **he** threatened to leave for Paris.

"But we always go to the bathroom together!" Whined the dependant teen.

"I'm sorry Kaizi, but that sushi we ate at the airport was not being very nice to my stomach." The Phoenix then sat up to give his best friend a reprimanding expression.

"I told you that stuff looked kinda raw." he said as if he proved a point.

Tala rolled his eyes. "Kai..." he began, but let the words die at his throat when something under their bed caught his eyes. "Hey... it's my auto-biography. I forgot all about this." He gently pushed Kai off of his abdomen and crawled over to the bed. "I must have pushed it under the bed before going out one day." he said, taking it into his hands as if it were a new born baby.

Kai eyed the book. "What's in it?"

"Just chronological events of the past years in my life and my personal thoughts on them. It's very personal. Very... top-secret."

"Oh..." Both teens eyes rested on the secret book. One with joy, the other with covetousness. "So... can I read it?"

"No!" Tala yelled, a little louder than necessary, protectively hugging the book to his chest. "It's top-secret."

"Oh..." the bluenette looked down at his hands. "Am it in it?"

"I can't tell you. It's top-secret!" Came his firm response.

"Does it tell how sexy I am?"

"Top. Secret."

"Does it say how sexy Mariah is? Because if it says how sexy Mariah is then it better tell how sexy I am because I am way more sexable than she it!"

"It's topsecret." Tala sighed, trying not to yell again. "I can't tell you."

Kai folded his arms expecting. "And why not?"

"Because it's top secret!" ops, he yelled.

Now a pout painted across Kai's face. "Do you think I'm sexy?" he tilted his head to the left making his look more cute than sexy.

Just as the other teen was about to respond, he was cut off by,

_It's too big, it's too wide  
It's too strong, it won't fit  
It's too much, it's too-_

The redhead read the name on his Blackberry before hastily opening it.

Kai shook his head. "She is sooooo not talking about anyone's ego." At first, he contented himself with just sitting and listening in on whatever qualm Tala had with the other person on the line... that is, until his eyes rested on the forbidden journal. _How dare he not let me read his inner most thoughts. As his best friend, I have to right to know everything about him!_ And to justify his sly act, he added,_For all I know it could be a suicide note. I must know! For... Tala's sake of course._

Meanwhile, Tala was listening to the sound of sniffing on the phone. "Hello? Mariah? Are you there?" She hadn't said anything since he picked up the phone and everything from a hostage situation to Mariah by a lake with anvil tied to her feet crossed his racing mind. "Riah please answer me! What's wrong?"

Still he got no coherent responce, only more sniffing followed by a deep inhale.

"Do you want me to come over? Where are you?" he asked sincerely. "Who do I need to hurt?"

"N-no, d-don't come over. D-don't," she sniffed again before taking a deep breath. "Don't come over."

"Are you okay?" There was a short pause. "Mar-"

"Tala! I'm pregnant!" the pinkette blurted out before Tala could ask her anything else. Shock played over the redhead's stiff features, then realization then.... happiness. Suddenly, he noticed a tan hand slowly creeping over his lap towards his journal and slapped it away.

He glared at the retreating hand before regaining his composure and asking excitedly, "Pregnant? Are you saying my semen-"

"Which has nothing to do with ocean!" Kai interjected.

"Swam up your fallopian tubes-"

"That were not made in the Philippians." He cut Tala off again.

"And penatraded and fertilized you egg, turning it into a zygote,"

"Which is not a cross between a xylophone and a goat." Kai shook his head at his imaginary students.

"That will sleep happily in your uterus?" The boys both grinned at their newly attained knowledge.

When the pinkette saw that the whole "abortion" thing would not die down soon, she resolved to clue the male teens in on what they should have learned in the seventh grade. They went back to her house and she sat them down to watch educational DVD's on reproduction. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you are, they became fascinated with this fresh information and decided to pursue further knowledge on the Internet.

Sadly, they stumbled upon a few videos showing the act of reproduction rather than the cellular mechanics of it. There innocent minds could only handle so much. Even if they didn't continue to stare until Mariah came in and exited out, the had already been scared for life.

"Ugh... yeah." Mariah finally spoke. "I mean. I think I am. I don't know. Tala I'm scared! I'm really scared!"

"Why Riah?! We're gonna have a baby!" Tala sounded ready to through a party.

"Tala that's not good!" she yelled quietly at him, as though she was crunched up in a closet hoping no one would find her.

"Why?"

"Because if Mama finds out we had sex, I'll be living in Japan for the rest of my life under the unrelenting watch of all the elders and my dad, and surveillance cameras!"

"Hey! I'm the father. I have rights!" Tala stated defensively.

Again, the greedy hand had made its way back over Tala's lap and actually manage to grasp the dear journal this time. Tala once again slapped it away. This time, with his Blackberry. The, now, sore hand slowly retreated out of the scene again.

"Don't worry about that now." then she swiftly added. "Tala, I need you to go to the store and get a few pregnancy tests for me, please."

"Mariah!" Tala whined. "You promised you would never send me on embarrassing mission to the drug store to get feminine products ever again!" Through his whole protest the pinkette repeated, "I know, I know, I know..."

"No! Not the tampons again!" Kai yelled loud enough for anyone standing on the outside to hear... which happened to be Dimes. The poor butler was just minding his own business going on an errand for Voltaire when he heard the statement. He paused with a confused look, the curiosity of the strange exclamation peaked his interest... but knowing his young master he would only leave the room as confused as he came in, so he continued on his way.

"What the heck are those things for anyway?" Kai asked, letting his crimson wonder up to the white ceiling. Tala shrugged in response. They didn't know what tampons where used for, but what they did know was that the last time they went on a female arrand for Mariah, it seemed as thought everyone they passed either stared and pointed or giggled and pointed.

"Please Tala. Please." came the pleading voice on the phone. "A lot of people know my mom and if they see me buying a pregnancy test what are they going to think?!"

"That you might be pregnant but aren't sure." he answered the rhetorical question.

Mariah sighed. "Yes..." she answered back. "So, will you do it?"

Tala seemed to think for a few moments about this request. One question came to mind. What was in it for him. A lollipop? A kiss? More sex maybe... if in fact she wasn't pregnant.

"Can I watch you pee on it?" he asked.

" N- Why!?" the pinkette was going to give a stern "no", but curiosity had overridden her previous thought.

"I wanna see it change color."

Too desperate to counter the young male's proposal she said, "Sure." then followed up with, "Thank you, Tala." she sounded truly grateful and relieved.

This rose a light and beautiful smile to spread across Tala's face. "I love you, Mariah. And until you give me a good reason not to, I would love you you to carry my embryo."

"Tala..." was her farewell to him and they both hung up. It was only then that the redhead looked up to notice Kai doing a vicory dance... if you want to call it dancing.

Tala looked to see that clutched in his left hand was his auto-biography.

"I got it! I got it! I got it!" The bluenette sang in bliss. Only stopping his happy dance when he noticed that the redhead was not attempting to steal back his beloved journal. He remained on the floor, with his arms folded gazing up at him. "What?" Kai asked.

"Oh yeah, in the middle of my conversation with Mariah concerning out newly merged sex cells, I realized something."

"What?" the bluenette asked, his happiness decresing with his rising confusion.

"That's not my auto-biography. It's my old biology book." the redhead laughed as the phoenix glanced at the book, then back at him, then at the book and threw it on the bed.

"I hate biology." Kai bluntly stated.

Tala then stood in one swift motion and swiped the book from the bed. This also confused Kai.

"You don't like biology either." he said as if to remind his best friend.

Tala only chuckled. "Kai, did you know the word gullible wasn't in the dictionary?"

"What?" Kai over pronounced the "T", looking at Tala as if **he** were stupid.

"Nothing Kaizi. Let's go get us some pee sticks!"

"Oh! Can I watch it change color?" The redhead dragged his best friend out the room door, only throwing the book back in onto the bed when he thought it was safe. After they had reached the stairs, it finally clicked. "Hey! That was you auto-biography! You lied to me!"

Quickly thinking of a way to distract the other male he calmly stated, "Kai, you look so sexy today."

The bluenette smiled, but it dropped as soon as it appeared. "Are you saying I don't look sexy everyday?"

"No... but you look especially sexable today."

"Are you trying to get me to stop thinking about the journal and the fact that you lied?"

"So... how bout them pee sticks?"

* * *

Um... I'm kind off happy with this chapter. Even though I had to re-write it. lol. Anything for my readers. Please feel free to let me know if I have any bothersome errors.

Let not my troubles go in vain for I live only for your reviews... so.... please review. lol


	23. Kai and Soda? Seriously Tala?

Wow! Man, I am so thankful for your reviews. They give me purpose at the end of the day. Lol. Thank you very very much!

P.s.- I gave blood yesterday! Yay me! I didn't even faint. Apparently I looked like I was though because they made me sit down, and nearly drowned me with Gatorade. lol.

Please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

"Kaizi! Come on!"

"No."

"Please!"

"No."

"Don't make me get on my knees and beg."

"Go ahead, make yourself look like a male prostitute at Wal-Mart." Kai chuckled, knowing his best friend disliked gaining the attention of strangers.

Our favorite best friend couple stood outside of the red Mustang in the parking lot of Wal-Mart arguing quite loudly, making a few heads turn. Tala's hands had slid their way onto his hips; a feminine gesture that only Tala could pull off without looking _completely_ gay. Kai towered over him with his nose in the air pointing away from the redhead.

"You **can not** make me go in there alone!" Tala yelled through his teeth when he noticed the awkward stares they were receiving. He let out a very un-Tala-like growl when the bluenette shook his head. "Why!? Why not!? I go along with every ridiculous game, contest, stunt, whatever your mind tells you to do **and you can't even help me buy a pregnancy test!?**" A red tint rushed to his cheeks as he realized people weren't just glancing at them anymore, but stopping in their tracks and staring at the scene. He resisted the urge to shove Kai in the car and speed away.

"Because..." Kai said with a limp had hanging between him and Tala, palms upward, reminding Tala of a rich guy in a crimson robe with an English accent. "It would violate my manly code."

Tala could have dropped to the ground laughing... if he wasn't so angry. "Manly code! Manly code?! Kai, the only thing **manly** about **you** is your magnificent ability to miss the whole toilet while peeing!"

As if it were a slap to the face Kai took at half step back, obviously offended. "I hit the water more than you do!"

Tala rolled his eyes at this.

"We are so having a peeing contest when we get home."

"Kai... please." was Tala's last feeble attempt. He knew he had to purchase the dreaded pee stick whether Kai tagged along or not. It was for Mariah, his may be baby mama.

"Ok." the bluenette shrugged with a look of indifference.

The redhead furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" he asked as if Kai had spoken in a foreign language.

"I'll go inside with you. I'll even buy the pregnancy test." Kai offered with a sly expression.

Tala folded his arms over his chest. "Let me guess. You'll do this in exchange for reading my auto-biography."

Kai dwelt on this thought for a moment, which confused Tala. "Actually... I was going bargain that you let me off my anti-sugar diet so I can buy some candy." He tilted his head up and stared thoughtfully at the sky. "But your trade is way better!" he gave Tala a toothy grin.

Knowing he had lost by his own hand, the redhead turned and sluggishly walked towards the store. It really wasn't necessary to haggle though, they both knew very well that Tala would eventually allow Kai to read the journal. The phoenix simply liked the idea of winning.

Tala was thankful his best friend didn't feel the need to buy candy. It seemed that soda he had before leaving the mansion was already kicking in.

_I'm gonna regret letting him drink that._ Tala thought.

In the eyes of teen males that basically had everything handed to them on a silver platter, Wal-Mart was a mysterious and complex facility. There were so many rows with colorful boxes and containers neatly arranged on them. Everyone seemed to gather at these machines with glowing numbers over them. Others just seemed to walk around in a confused clutter with rolling metal cages.

"Um... Tala?" Kai asked, staring at the scene. Not waiting for an answer he continued, "I don't think we're in Moscow anymore."

"Yes we are." the blue eyed Russian confirmed bluntly.

"Well, this is a very confusing part of Moscow..." then he concluded, "I kinda like it!"

Tala looked around realizing that he hadn't the slightest clue what exactly a "pee stick" looked like. He just knew it changed colors. "We need to ask someone for directions."

"Hey! Don't say it like that!" Kai's outburst caused Tala to jump slightly. "We are men. We don't ask for directions." he folded his arms stubbornly.

Tala threw up his hands in frustration. "Again with the stupid manly code thing. No body cares, Kai! Save it for tonight. We'll... watch football or something." he said dismissively. "Now, help me find someone to-"

"Hi, my name's Kai." before Tala could finish the sentence the other Russian had already stopped a complete stranger in their tracks. "My best friend Tala," he gestured to the redhead staring at him in disbelief. "and his girlfriend just had sex for the first time like last night even though I told him not to. She's kind of weird, she has pink hair, and I think that I would have been way more fun in bed, but the deed is done and there's nothing I can do about it."

"I just think it's slightly unfair because I resisted the urge to sleep with his sister who's a hot stripper and just left for Paris this morning, but I don't care about her anymore. She doesn't even deserve to be in this conversation. Anyway, after we tried to get his girlfriend to get an abortion like all yesterday, she thinks that a zygote fertilized by Tala's sperm cell maybe growing in her womb right now, at this very moment. But they're not sure, so we need to find a pregnancy meter test to confirm it. Can you please direct us to them?"

Yep, giving Kai half a Sprite was a **terrible** idea.

The stranger blinked blankly. It was a woman whom looked about middle age. She had boringly straight blond hair that seemed to be fading. Her expression was contorted in a mix of confusion and fear, giving Tala the notion that Kai had successfully creeped* her out.

"Um... they're... in the female section." she slowly answered while quickly stepping away from the two.

"Hey lady, wait!" Kai yelled lifting his arms and dropping them. But she was already past the electric gliding doors and halfway to her car with a full basket of items. "We don't know where that is..." Kai stared at the isles before them. "Aw man, Tala, I guess that didn't work." He averted his gaze to his best friend whom was giving him an incredulous glare.

"You think!" Tala slapped his forehead beginning to walk. "Thanks for giving my information out to a complete stranger who probably wants to bring us up on charges for disturbing the peace or some kind of harassment."

Tala shuddered then because he saw Kai's eyes light up with excitement. This was not going to be a good day. "You wanna know what I always wanted to be charged for?"

"No, nor do I want to know." Tala answered.

But of course Kai would inform him anyway. This _was_ Kai we were talking about. "Public indecency! Oh man, I can't wait for Christmas! Boy, do I have a present for Moscow! We need a public area, a huge electronic billboard, some wires, a video camera, a-" Suddenly he was ripped from his stance in the middle of a walkway where everyone had frozen in their place to stare at the ranting bluenette.

"Sh..." Tala said loudly, holding Kai against a random shelf of items.

"Is this the part where you rape me? Do you want me to act frightened?"

" Kai, please, n-"

"No, stranger who I don't know! Please don't! Ah! Don't touch me there! Rape!" Kai yelled loudly, fighting back the laughter threatening to erupt from his throat. "Rape!"

Tala's face turned three different shades of red. He almost matched his hair. "Kai, shut up!"

Tala then noticed the people around him had gone from being bewildered, to angry and protective. They began to advance toward the teens. Kai was eating this up.

"Hey, what are you doing to him?" one man yelled.

"Leave him alone!" a lady shouted.

"No, this is my best friend." Like lightening, Tala's hands where off Kai's arms and in the air as if he were being arrested. "He's just messing around, **right** Kai." With all the venom in him, Tala cast Kai a quick and powerful death glare.

The customers defensive expression didn't budge and their eyes didn't move from the mortified redhead. Tala felt like he was standing in the school auditorium stumbling through every word of a Dr. Sues book with his pants below his ankles... which _might_ have happened in the third grade. Why did Kai love embarrassing him?

The crowd had grown boisterous, everyone shouting to each other and at Tala all at once. He didn't get it, it didn't even _look_ like he was trying to rape Kai anymore. _People are so stupid. _He thought to himself. They all just stood there furiously yelling what they should do or had the mind to do. Kai tilted his head down pretending to be hurt, but actually hiding his smile in shadow.

Finally, security managed to rip through the growing crowd. "What's going on here?"

"Wow, you guys are late!" Kai exclaimed in a pretend outrage. "He could have ripped my clothes off, tied me to a pole, and forced me to listen to the audio of a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel by the time you guys showed up!"

"Let's arrest him." one security guard nodded towards Tala.

"Kai, seriously... seriously? You're this bored? Tell them that I was **not** trying to rape you!" Tala pleaded. "Look at me. I'm two sizes smaller than he is! Don't you think he'd be able to fight me off?"

"I believe in peace, not fighting." Kai softly claimed.

Once again Tala growled. "Kai! Just ask them where the stupid pregnancy tests are so we can leave this stupid place!" The crowd abruptly stopped talking and all was silent. The guards in blue came to a halt. Tala's eyes swiped the crowd, surveying each confused face.

"Um... Tala..." the redhead looked to his best friend to see him pointing to a spot beside his waist. Blue eyes descended to see a collection of pink boxes labeled "Pregnancy Tests". With a sheepish grin Kai took four different boxes from the shelf, all eyes watching his every move. "Just kidding people. He's my gay lover. We're actually going to see if our girlfriend is pregnant." Then he kissed Tala on the cheek as cruel public taunt. "He's just a little high strung. You know how these threesomes get."

Bubbling with amusement, the bluenette made his leave almost skipping as he went. Tala hesitated before realizing he wouldn't be arrested, then he followed Kai's path through the crowd. When he finally fell in step with the mischievous gremlin known as Kai, he hissed, "You are so dead when we get home."

"I love you too, baby!"

Tala continued speak in a low threatening tone, "No one will be able to hear your screams."

"Tala, you're so feisty, I can't wait to get you home either!" he added, raising and lowered his eyebrows. He was going to juice the humor out of this every second, from the time they left with the pregnancy tests until there was no one outside his Mustang's window to yell, "Help, he's beating me again!" to, because surely when he got home...

...Tala was going to commit a homicide.

* * *

Lol. I think I liked this chapter. Please review. They make me very happy.

*I know it's not a word.


	24. Threesome Maybe

I'm REALLY sorry for the long wait. I am just super busy! This is the busiest summer EVER! I'm just trying to work and get money for senior year and all of that fun jazz.

But back to the fic… that most people have totally forgotten about. If you are reading this, please do enjoy. :-)

* * *

Tick… tick… tick… tick…

Mariah was an arm length away from stabbing the pink, kitty clock that hung on her bedroom wall. Biting her lips and twiddling her fingers, she sat in the farthest corner of the room away from the object of Kai and Tala's concentration.

They were both bent over her white Chester drawer, waiting in nail biting anticipation for all three of the pregnancy tests to change. The way they were staring so intently at them seemed to make time go by even slower, which kind of pissed the pinkette off.

"Would you both quit staring at-" she was cut off abruptly by Tala's outburst of,

"Oh no, 'Riah!" the corners of his mouth were tugged downward in a pout.

"What?" she asked, nearly pushing the two males over as she darted to their side of the room to view the results. "What does it say?" she picked up the digital pregnancy test.

Her gut was being a wimp and wouldn't let her open her eyes to see what it read.

"I was gonna say, you made me miss the color on change, but it was just a false alarm." Tala informed.

"That one has been done for a while." Kai stated matter-of-factly. Mariah's eyes snapped open to view the test. "It's not the cool one. Me and Tala are waiting on the colorful one." A proud expression played on his face.

"Kai, it changed!" Tala yelled holding the stick up in the air as it he had won a prize for it.

"Aw! I missed it!" Kai slouched on the floor.

"The test is negative!" the female could have jumped with overwhelming joy and relief… so she did. The redhead teen only smiled because he liked the idea of having a baby, but if Mariah was content without one, he was content with waiting a little while longer.

Visibly, Kai was the least happy. No, he didn't want Tala to replace him with a baby, but he heard what Mariah said. The test was negative. Kai-logic claims that if a positive test meant a new addition to the group, then that meant a negative test means someone had to leave.

Lost in thought, Kai didn't notice his best friend walk up beside him until a hand rested on his shoulder. "Kai, what's wrong?" Sad crimson eyes met concerned blue as Tala knelt beside Kai on the floor.

"The test is negative." Kai stated, sounding on the verge of tears. "That means I have to go, right? Positive means add and negative means subtract. Subtract means me." The bluenette hung his head in self defeat. "I know you don't want to get rid of Mariah because she can have your babies and I can't."

"Kai." It had come from Mariah whom had pulled out her Droid Incredible in preparation to call her friends and tell them the good news. The two males on her fluffy, white carpet raised their heads to see her. "No one has to go anywhere. I swear, with you, everything that happens has to result in someone leaving. That's not so." She earned a tilted head from Kai and a small smile from her boyfriend. "Tala loves me, and he loves you. I would never dare to make him choose between us and he doesn't have to. He has a big heart, I'm sure we both can fit." She giggled and gave Kai the warmest smile he had ever received from her. Slowly Kai's lips curled up in a smile too.

"So, no one has to leave?" Kai asked just to make sure they were clear.

Mariah opened her mouth the answer, but then snapped it shut after thinking. The best friends looked at each other in confusion. "Actually, you both can leave now. I'm about the call Arura and Hilary and we have some big girl talking to do. I wouldn't want Kai to conjure up another misconception in that pretty little head of his, so off with both of you." She shoed the boys out of her room and immediately hoped on her queen sized bed to make her phone calls.

Neither of the friends spoke on the way home. Normally Kai found some random activity to do while gazing out of the window of his Mustang, but no, the ride was peaceful and uninterrupted. It was only when they got home and rested in the comforting walls of their secret hide out, Paradise, that Kai spoke. He had been thinking about what Mariah told him.

"_I would never dare to make him choose between us…"_

He knew her words were sincere, and that he had nothing more to worry about. Here he was now with his best friend in the whole world, in their secret hangout, sipping on Caparisons; just the way he liked things. They were lying back in their bean bag chairs that they were getting a little too big for and now had to lay on two instead of one.

"Tala." Kai started, receiving a hum of acknowledgement from his best friend. "I know you love me and I know you love Mariah. You just love us both in two different ways, and I just want you to know that I accept that."

"Thanks Kaizi." Tala muttered sleepily. The days activities had left the blue eyed teen drained, so he took this moment to relax and possible fall asleep as long as Kai didn't continue talking. "I couldn't replace either one of you if I held a world competition for it."

One day, Tala knew, he would be doing something of slight importance and flashback on this moment, ultimately annoying whomever he was with, but it was worth remembering. For once he felt like the scattered puzzle pieces of his life were falling into place. He had his best friend and his girlfriend and that's all that really mattered at the moment.

"I mean, Mariah's a cool girl." Kai continued even though his audience was falling asleep. Tala meekly nodded, half conscious. "She's nice, she's pretty, she's smart, and just… well, great." Tala hummed again in agreement. "Not to mention hot. I mean, I've always thought she was pretty, but now she seems kinda," Kai shrugged, "sexy."

Tala silted his eyes open and averted them to Kai's direction. Kai continued, "If someone put a gun to my head right now and told me to choose someone to have sex with at this moment, it would definitely be Mariah." He crossed his arms and nodded at his own though.

"What exactly are you getting at?" the redhead asked, shaking some of his sleep away.

"Well, me and you, we're best friends, right?" Kai stated with a sly smirk painted across his face. He nodded for Tala. "And what do best friends do? They share things, right?"

Tala then sat up. "Kai. No." he could not believe—Ok, so he **could** believe Kai was suggesting what he thought he was suggest. The number one rule with Kai was to always expect the unexpected, the impossible, and the outrageous.

"But listen, Tali. Wouldn't it be so much easier to love both of us if we **all** loved each other?"

"Kai, you are **not** dating my girlfriend. She's mine!" the redhead reminded him.

"I know… but she **can** be ours. Me and you are a lot alike, she'll love me in no time… if she already doesn't." Kai smiled with self satisfaction.

The blue eyes teen then stood up. "Kai, I am NOT sharing my girlfriend with you. No way! You are not winning this time."

Kai's lips tugged downward in a pout. "But Tala," he whined. "I'm madly in love with her."

The redhead rolled his eyes and began to walk away. "Kai, you fall madly in love with some girl every week."

"But it's really real this time." He assured the disbelieving teen. Then, his eyes widened with surprise at the pleasure of his own thought. "Tala! If we both get her pregnant she can have twins! You like babies, right?" Kai shouted happily, getting up to follow Tala. "They can have matching everything! Matching strollers, matching outfits, matching diapers…"

"Kai, don't even think about having sex with my Mariah."

"Fine Tala," Kai sighed as if he were giving up. "I'll let you be on top, but I've been researching sex and I found that girl like guys with big… private areas to be on top. Now, if you really wanted Mariah to enjoy herself-"

"Kai, stop talking before I hurt you."

* * *

So… I'm not going to lie, it was a bit rushed, but that's only because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer than you already have. The last chapter will be the very last one for real this time.

It would be very nice if you guys reviewed this chapter for me, or otherwise I will think no one likes or reads this story anymore and become very depressed and never want to update again. So, pretty please review.


	25. Closer

I'm ALIVE and updating! Sorry for the delay. You guys know how life is. I recently read a fic that gets updated just as rarely as mine do, so I decided it was my turn. Lol. I think I might write a whole fic out before starting one next time. I hate making you guys wait because I know how much I hate waiting.

WARNING!: There will be a little lime. I guess it can be called that. Some intense Tala/Mariah cuddling, if you will. Lol. I hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or the term "secondary virgin".

Well, without further delay, I give you the final chapter of Me, Myself and Kai.

* * *

_It could have been the rarity of a clear, warm Russian night. Or maybe the fact that we dared to tarry in her room a tad longer usual. Maybe it was the way her crimson gaze smoldered me, enticed me, every time she inventoried my body in a single, slow, thick-lashed sweep. Whatever it was, it made my mind swim with desire and my body burn with need. _

_I was desperate for a touch. All I needed was one feather-like brush of her finely manicured fingers. I knew they would be soft. I knew they would be warm. I knew they would leave trails of fire, blazing over my skin…_

_I knew I would want more._

_I was a man dragging his body through a barren desert in search of but a drop of liquid to quench his unbearable thirst. I could imagine the sweet, tasteless liquid gliding down my droughty throat. I could see the liquid, feel it, taste it! I had to have it! Then… an angel appeared to grant me my desires…_

_And once I had that one, succulent, miniscule drop…_

… _I was a crack addict in a drug house. _

_By the time my mind finally caught up to my body, my pink haired angel was underneath me, full chest heaving against mine, eyes clouded with pent up lustful desire. One of my strong hands easily held both of hers over her head, while the other caressed the perimeter of her waistline. My lips crashed down on hers' with all the ferocity stored in me as a result of holding back for so long. I wanted her… bad. I could tell she wanted me. _

_Mariah's post panic of teenage child birth had waned over a couple of weeks. Each day the kisses lasted longer, hands found secret places they wouldn't dare go in public, bodies pressed tighter together seemingly in an attempt to merge. But finally, I could do the next best thing. _

_My legs straddled her waist, and I felt her hips rock into mine. Playing with the waist hem of her pants, I trailed butterfly kisses along her jaw line, making her shiver. I never thought I would be able to pleasure he so. _

_I remember when I use to feel like an incapable virgin. I remember when I knew nothing about sex except for what Bryan had told me and Kai on those whimsical nights in Biovolt when Boris had left us be for once. One of the only bits of advices I now found useful from those nights (as a lot of Bry's information was false), was the very thing I forgot on this night._

_Always. Lock. The door._

_Golden eyes, similar to the eyes who held me above all the world desire just a few seconds ago, widened in shock from the recently opened door way spilling light unto me and Mariah's little scene. By this time, both of our shirts were lost on the floor along with shoes and socks. I had stopped mid-kiss at Mariah's belly button to stare back into, now, infuriated, glinting golden eyes. _

"_Mama!" Mariah gasped, embarrassment and shock written all over her face. She had gathered the cover to her chest in a knee jerk reaction that I thought only happened in movies. _

"_Keith!" Mariah's mom called, glaring dagger at me!_

_Keith! Wasn't he the one with the gun? Mariah's mom would never let her daughter be shot… I was definitely the target. At that moment, another one of Bry's lessons shifted the gears in my mind: fight or flight. _

_Fortunately, Mariah's bedroom window stays open almost 24/7, mostly for my convenient access to her room. Unfortunately, her room was on the second story. Still, I dived, rolled, and ran like-_

"Mr. Ivanov… Talaver Ivanov!" My sixth period Anatomy teacher called me out of my flashback.

"Ma'am!" I snapped in shock, immediately embarrassed, wondering how long she had been calling me, and if anyone noticed the uncomfortable bulge in my pants. The class laughed, and I sank down in my seat, cheeks probably rivaling the color of my hair.

"What are the functions of the thoracic cage?" Ms. Garbs snapped, her dainty hands firmly on her shapely hips. I actually think she just pulled this questioned out of nowhere. We are not even on the skeletal system!

"It supports the pectoral girdle, protects the viscera, and plays a roll in breathing." I answered after regaining a small portion of my composure.

She sighed, seemingly disappointed with my knowledge of the human anatomy. She was hoping to mortify me further! But she continued on, gesturing with her boobs more than her hands, speaking in the high cheerleader voice. She was said to be "the hottest teacher at Moscow High". I didn't care for her too much, she was just a grouchy, young female to me (if you catch my drift). Ever since the beginning of the school year when Voltaire told her I tend to "drift" from reality, she's been picking on me!

"Aw man! Ms. G is so hot when she's mad!" I heard Kai hiss from behind me. He claims he "seduced" her into allowing him to sit behind me. I'm not sure how true that might be, and I'm not sure I wanna know. This is one love interest I hope Kai switches from with quickness!

Finally, the bell of freedom rang! I was gathering my books when Ms. Garbs ordered, "Stay behind, Tala, I need to talk to you." I groaned and slid back into my seat, hearing some giggles and a few jealous "lucky"s from my male peers. Kai, of course, stayed in his seat as well.

After everyone but the three of us had straggled out, she hopped up on the front of her desk, legs immediately crossing. Kai and I sat in silence. I was surprised she didn't command for him to leave. She supported her chin on her fist and pursed her lips, elbow resting on her elevated leg.

"Mr. Ivanov, as much as you daydream in my class, I must say, your knowledge of Anatomy far exceeds your peers. I've also been talking to your other teachers and they tell me that you are quite a bright young man. Why don't you consider moving up to more advanced classes?" she questioned.

_Move to different classes!_ THAT was out of the question considering all the secret agent crap Kai and I pulled in the beginning of the school year to make sure we had the same classes. We could have gotten expelled! We could have gotten arrested! My heart almost stopped when the principle walked into the office that morning. Kai and I had to stay in his cramped coat closet for three hours! Last time I let him talk me into-

"Tala!" Mrs. G snapped me back to reality. I was only beginning my daydream. I didn't think the volume was necessary.

I was just about to speak when Kai started. "No way Ms. G! Tala and I stick together no matter what!" Kai stated proudly.

"I wasn't asking you, Kai. You shouldn't even be here." She said way more smoothly than if she were talking to me.

"Well, Ms. Garbs, Kai's right. We like having classes together." I stated calmly.

"Don't you two live together?" she asked furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms. "Do you **ever** get enough of seeing each other?" Kai and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Ms. Garbs appeared slightly disheartened. "Well… think about it, ok?" I nodded, slung my book bag over my shoulder and started out the door. It was only until I got out that I realized Kai had lingered.

"What were you doing?" I asked when he bounced out of the class.

He winked. "Don't look for answers you're not ready to hear, Tala-Baby." He waged a finger in my face. Kai had gotten a lot more… flirtatious in action since school started. Girls were all over him left and right! So many girls had asked him out already, but he refused to go on a date without me. Thus, girls were all over me, too. I couldn't help but feel kind of used. But I wasn't interested in them anyway, which brings me back to my previous dilemma.

Mariah's mom was so upset by her daughters "hormonal, teenage activities" as she called it, that she sent Mariah to an all girls' school… in Japan. I couldn't help but feel guilty… and scared that my girlfriend would turn gay on me.

I sighed. This would mark three months that I haven't seen her. I miss her. I still remember one of our first webcam conversations after she joined the all girls' high school.

**Flashback**

"_I guess I'll just have to be your video vixen for now." she joked, her laugh seemed hesitant though. She was pretending to be okay so I wouldn't feel bad. After all, I did initiate the situation._

"_I'm so sorry, Mariah! This is entirely my fault! Being without you isn't worth all the sex in the world!" I think I actually meant that._

_She sighed and tilted her head empathetically. The fading internet connection made it seem like she didn't it in slow motion. "Tala, it's ok, really! The girls aren't half bad. I can see some friendships forming." Her optimism was wasted on me. _

"_I miss you." I stated in that sad puppy way._

_She gave me a weak smile. "I miss you, too. But hey! Mama says that if I make all A's this semester I can finish the school year off in Russia. But I still have to go to an all girls' school." She rolled her eyes. "I think she thinks I'm gonna start having sex in the boys' bathroom with random guys." She laughed. "If anything, being in an all girls' school will only make me want you more." She gave me a slightly seductive smile._

"_No, Mariah." I said firmly. "No more sex. Sex feels good, it's fun, but between worrying about you getting pregnant, and your mother sending you thousands of miles away, I don't think it's worth it. Let's just wait until marriage, ok?" I paused to gather my thoughts. "I've been thinking about this for a while. When your mom told Voltaire about us having sex, he flipped. Now he thinks I'm some kind of sex addict, and forced me and Kai to watch ab-sti-nence videos." I tested the word on my tongue. "They made a lot of sense to me. It means not having sex until marriage. Will you be abstinent with me?" _

_I was afraid to ask. I know Mariah liked sex. I liked sex, too. It's hard to just stop cold turkey, even if we did only do it a one and a half times. "Of course I'll abstain from sex with you, Tala. You're worth the wait." She smiled. I felt my body warm-up with happiness. It felt good. I hope I never get use to the in love, heady, warm-all-over feeling. _

"_The video also said we can be secondary virgins. It means we had sex, but we choose to be abstinent from now on until marriage."_

"_Does that mean you wanna marry me, Tala?"_

_I knew she was teasing, but I still blushed and looked down. She laughed again._

"_I love you, Tala Ivanov." She continued to beam at me as I looked up._

"_I love you too, Mariah Azule." I think the distance is really only bringing us closer._

**End Flashback**

I sighed.

"Mariah?" Came Kai's knowing question. Kai is now considerate of my reminiscing, he usually waits until I'm somewhat back in reality.

"Yeah." I gazed at the scuffed tile floor, partly still lost in thought in thought.

"She'll be back, Tala." Kai reassured. "Her mom said that if she makes all A's by the second semester she can finish her term here in Russia! And you guys can "court"." He did air quotes. Another suggestion of Mariah's mom is that all of our dates would take place in their front room, in front of her… and Keith. Can we say _awkward_? Admittedly, it is better than not seeing her at all.

"Yeah." I agreed. "Thanks Kai."

"And Tala," he called as we walked to the black limo that Dimes picks us up in every day. "I think you should take the classes."

"Huh?"

Kai laced his finger behind his head. "I mean Ms. G is right, we see each other at home all the time, and at lunch, before and after school." He paused, seemingly grappling for the right words. "I know you love me." He stopped and so did I. After taking my hands in his he started again, "You know that I love you." A few people had now stopped to gaze at us either in confusion, disgust, or weird gay lust, like we were about to make out on the spot… _creepy_. "But… eventually we are going to have to do our own thing, and live our own life. I've been thinking about this for a while, Tala, and I want you to have the best chance at a happy life as possible. I don't want to be the one holding you back. Yeah, we're rich, but I know sometimes you feel like you're just a freeloader, and you want to be independent. I want you to be independent. One day you might want to have a real job instead of being "the trust fund baby's best friend". I'm cool with that, and I'll support you one hundred percent." He gave me a reassuring smile.

I smiled back. Even thought Kai had because a flirtatious lady's man this year, he's definitely matured too. Being together is great, but sometimes letting go is necessary. It will be hard to adjust to, but it was true. Still, I was so proud of my best friend. I know how hard it must have been for him to tell me all of that.

"Thank you, Kai." I kissed him once on the lips. I think some girls just fainted on the school lawn. Maybe we should stop doing that in public. That's not the first time we've made girls fall unconscious. "I think I will take some advanced classes… but I will be staying in our Anatomy class. What **is** going on with you and Ms. Garbs?" I eyed him as we scooted in the limo.

"I was just getting some extra credit." A sly smile slipped on his face. Suddenly, I pounced on him. If he wouldn't tell me willingly, I would have to use tickle torture! He erupted in laugher. He held out until he fell off the seat and was on the floor of the limo. "Ok, ok, ok, ok!" He breathed. "She wanted-" He gasped, as I eased up. "She wanted me to tell you to stop wearing such tight pants in school if you're going to get a hard-on every day!" I glared at him as he tried to stifle his amused laugher. "Don't shoot the messenger!"

Embarrassment washed over me again. "It's not funny!" I yelled, and resolved to just tickle Kai until he begged for forgiveness. For what? I wasn't sure. I didn't care.

Kai and I live for these moments. The moments when we could just be ourselves, and love each other for who we are regardless of what the rest of the world thinks or says. I once heard a saying that went, "Growing up means growing apart." Kai and I proved that wrong. I feel like the more we grow, we become closer. Being together makes figuring out life's mysteries so much more exciting, and less lonely than most people. We know no matter what happens; if Voltaire disowns us, if girls don't want us, if the world rejects us, we will never be alone because we will ALWAYS have each other.

No matter what, it will always be me, myself and Kai.

**Later That Night**

"Tala!" Kai called in the shower that night while shampooing his hair. "I have this GENIUS idea to get you and Mariah back together without her parents knowing a thing! I'm really getting the hang of this whole letting-you-live-your-own-life thing, I wanna help!"

"Kai, no." I said firmly, though I'm not sure if there was soap in his ears or if he was practicing selective hearing because he continued.

"All we need is Dimes to steer the helicopter, some pregnancy tests, parachutes just in case, one of those rescue ropes the S.W.A.T. team uses, and cool black shades."

My eyes widened at him. "Kai! No!" I yelled.

"Don't worry, Tala, you and Mariah will be reunited in no time." He exclaimed, smiling brightly at me. I gave up and just began to laugh, out of amusement or fear from my life, I'm not sure. He joined in though.

"I love you, Tali." He announced randomly.

"I love you too, Kaizi. You're my best friend."

* * *

That's it! I was gonna end it at "Me, Myself and Kai", but Kai HAD to suggest something crazy. Lol. I hope you guy enjoyed this fic. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read, favorite, put on the alert list and especially review my fic.

I really like it. I think our characters are happy with the outcome as well.

Please review one last time!


End file.
